The Changing Destinies Series: Book Four
by E4me100
Summary: Aka "To Whatever End." As the events of the war come to a close, time is running out for Kathryn, Kaia, and Erin. The trio now struggles to stick together as they're each pulled in different directions because of their fates. Can they each accomplish their goals and make it to the very end together? Or is it not going to be such a happy ending? Self-insert fic. Pairings: Read it!
1. BFF Reunion

_In book three, we continued to follow both Erin and Kaia as they traveled through Middle-Earth, although each with different destinations. Kaia became imprisoned in Orthanc by the wizard Saruman, while Erin went on to Rohan as one of The Four Hunters. Upon her arrival at Edoras, Erin discovered that Kathryn, another friend of theirs from Earth, was in Middle-Earth, too. Each one of the girls fought both internal and external battles of their own, and while Kaia managed to eventually escape Orthanc, Kathryn was unable to overcome her fear of fighting in the war, and Haldir died in battle despite Erin's attempts to save him. This is the final book, which will tell of how Kaia, Erin, and Kathryn are once again caught up in the drama and chaos of The War of the Ring, and reveal just where the trio ends up after it is all over._

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable people, places, or objects from the Lord of the Rings.**

The Changing Destinies Series: Book Four

To Whatever End

_Makenzie pulled the hood of her white raincoat tighter over her head and kept walking with her eyes on the ground. She'd just left her house not five minutes ago, and already it was pouring rain outside. The sky was a dark, angry grey, and nothing but rainclouds could be seen from horizon to horizon. _Funny how fitting the weather is for a time like this, _she thought bitterly as she sloshed through a grey-brown puddle, not caring that her flip-flops and feet were now soaking wet and dirty. Headlights of passing cars flashed in and out of her vision, but thankfully none of them drove close enough to soak her in rainwater from the gutters. Not that she would've cared, though._

_ By the time Makenzie had reached her destination, the rain still hadn't let up that much. The light wind that accompanied it was cold; unusual for a summer storm like this. Still, she ignored the forces of nature around her, instead choosing to simply tuck her medium-length curly brown hair behind her ears and press on. Her mom had warned her about going out, but nothing could tear her away from this. She had to go. It was one of those things that just couldn't be ignored or put off._

_ She crossed the street for the last time, briefly glancing up at the sign embedded into the grassy hillside to make sure she hadn't somehow veered off course. Bowing her head again, Makenzie continued on up the paved roadway until the hill flattened out. Here she paused and looked around for a moment to assure that she was alone. Chocolate eyes swept over the flat grassy field, occasionally dotted with bunches of flowers and flat slabs of stone here and there. This wasn't quite where she wanted to be, so she kept walking back, further onto the large property area, still following the paved over pathway._

_ Eventually, she passed a large statue of Jesus Christ that was located in the center of it all. Makenzie only looked up at it for a second. The kind, compassionate expression chiseled into the white stone did little to comfort her now. She'd seen that expression too many times in the past two years or so. After a moment longer of walking, she finally reached the section that was home to several trees, back in the corner of the land that was farthest from the road. Here, it was all but silent. The stillness of the air was broken only by the sound of the rain hitting the trees and ground. Makenzie finally turned off of the paved road and walked off through the short green grass. The grounds were always incredibly well-kept._

_ Once she passed under the trees, she removed her hood, as their thick leaves helped shelter her from the rain somewhat. Again her eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area until she found what she was looking for. She broke into a run, making a beeline for a specific bunch of flowers that were actually fake roses in three colors: purple, black, and red. As soon as she reached the roses, she dropped to her knees, mud splattering up on her pale legs. She didn't care. No one else was here to see how she looked, with tears flowing freely down her face and mingling with rainwater. No one was there __to hear her sob as she wiped the dead grass and leaves off of the granite marker just in front of her. Engraved on this large stone rectangle were three names and three dates, none of which she would ever forget._

_Erin_

_04/18/14_

_Kaia_

_11/06/14_

_Kathryn_

_06/23/15_

_ Makenzie dropped her head and shivered as she grieved for the loss of three of the closest friends she'd ever had. She just couldn't understand why they'd been taken from her. Ever since it had begun, the world she and what was left of her small, close-knit group of friends knew seemed less bright. The rest of the girls who remained – herself included – were purely terrified. It haunted all of them, day and night, wondering who would be next...where the three had gone in the first place...and why they had been chosen for this...this...this cruel, unforgiving fate. _

_ She continued to allow tears to fall, feeling broken and paralyzed with fear as she often did nowadays. "...Why is this happening?"_

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I gasped fearfully and opened my eyes, my heart beating faster than normal as I slowly sat up and looked around. I was in bed...in my room..in Edoras. Not on Earth. Not with Kenzie. It had only been a dream. My breathing returned to normal as well, and I laid my head back down on my pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "...Just a dream."

_A dream...or a vision? _I frowned a bit as the small voice in the back of my mind spoke up. _You know how everyone reacted when Erin and Kaia disappeared. How __you__ reacted. _I cringed as I recalled some less-than-pleasant memories. _Who's to say that is was any different when you left?_

I thought about that. The small frown never left my face as I remembered the day that I'd walked into school at eight in the morning, only to find the rest of our friends panicking. It had been horrible.

oOo

_Flashback_

I nodded my head in time to the music, a smile on my face as my favorite song by Broken Iris blasted into my ears via my headphones. It was a Monday morning. April twentieth, to be exact. Typically I hated Mondays as much as any other normal teenager, but today was different. I'd actually had a decent morning that didn't involve me wanting to rip my hair out.

As I pushed open the glass doors and walked into the main lobby of my high school with the rest of the kids on my bus, I removed my headphones and paused the song, my smile growing a bit. Sure enough, there stood my group of friends just outside the office, huddled together at the corner like always. I was mostly excited to talk to Erin, as we'd had a pretty interesting Facebook conversation Friday evening. "Forever alone...lol," I said to myself as I approached them.

I tapped Kaia on the shoulder, as her back was to me. "Well hi," I started off with a weird voice when she turned around. I would've continued, but the look on her face...She looked really freaked out. Scared, even. I looked at the others. They all had similar worried expressions. "What's wrong?" I asked Kaia. "What's going one?"

She hesitated a moment before answering. "Erin's gone missing."

_End flashback_

oOo

I remembered how much it shook all of us. Especially once they'd pronounced her dead. It took so long for us to accept and get used to the idea. I remembered when Sydney completely broke down crying in science class once. She'd had to leave to building and go home early.

Kaia's disappearance certainly hadn't helped, especially since it happened right at the beginning of senior year...Just as we were finally moving on from the loss of Erin. I remember both of their "funerals," Kaia's in particular. She had a twin, Kaela, though they looked and acted nothing alike. Kaela just...she never really got over it. She never stopped talking about how sorry she was for always doing stupid and annoying things and sometimes being a total bitch to Kaia as much as she had. I knew that despite all the fighting, though, they'd been close. Really close. Kaela almost couldn't handle losing her sister. Same with their mom, too.

_Was my funeral the same way? _I wondered. _Were people as scared and upset when I disappeared? _For a second, I wondered if anyone else would get pulled into Middle-Earth. I certainly wouldn't mind it if the rest of our clan showed up. I sighed. _I'd give anything to see them again. Just to tell them what happened, at least. To let them know that we're all okay._

That brought a whole new set of questions to mind. Was is...possible to go back home? I blinked. I honestly hadn't thought about it until now. There had to be some way to go back...right?_ Maybe Gandalf would know. He is a wizard, after all. _I shifted into a more comfortable position as I drifted back to sleep. _I'll ask about it when they all get back._

_ ...Hurry up and get back..._

oOo

Erin's POV

I bit my lip in concentration and made a decision as I put my fist forward. "Tie. _One, two, three, shoot. _"Tie." _I have to fake him out. _"Tie." _He's way too good at this._

Suddenly, Legolas grinned. "I win."

I blinked, looking down at our hands. I was rock, and he was...paper. "No! You suck! You cheater!" I shouted, slamming my fist down on my thigh, but still smiling a bit.

He laughed and turned his attention back to controlling Arod. "How am I a cheater? I beat you fair and square."

"You haven't lost one game of rock paper scissors!"

"I consider that to be incredible luck on my part." He paused for a moment, then turned to smirk at me. "Or is it simply that you are just that bad at your own game?"

I glared at him, even though we both knew it wasn't serious. "Watch it, Greenleaf. You've got no room to talk after losing that last part of the challenge."

At the mention of that, the blonde prince rolled his eyes. "For the last time, it was a tie!"

Gimli snorted from behind him. "Any simpleton knows that I very clearly won."

"You did not. It was an even score, forty-three to forty-three."

"No, it was _forty-two_ to forty-three," I corrected him. "That last Uruk didn't count, Legolas."

"It was not officially dead until I shot it! I saw him moving!"

"As I told ye before, that was a result of my axe lodged in his brain!" Gimli shot back.

"He beat you fair and square, Legolas," I teased, mocking his quote from earlier. "Don't get your royal panties in a bunch."

Legolas made a face. "Ha ha. Very funny. Remind me why I am friends with you again?"

I laughed. "Oh, shut up. Where would you be without me?"

"Hard to say, but my life would certainly be much more pleasant."

"You Mirkwood elves never were known for your flattery."

"Though I have heard quite a bit about all mortals' sarcasm."

"No doubt a skill that you wish you had."

He scoffed. "Hardly."

"Right, right, because a prince like you is too good for that, huh?"

"That is not what I-"

I held up a hand and turned my head away. "Nope. I'm done with you."

"Erin..."

"Done! No more!"

"Would you just-"

"Nope! Don't wanna hear it!"

I heard Legolas sigh, but I knew he was smiling. His tone was now sarcastic. "And what could I ever do to compensate for my words, O Highest and Most Exalted One?"

I looked back at him. "Really? That's all you've got?"

"Most Intelligent of All Beings?" I shook my head, and his smile grew. "Fairest in all Arda?" Still no. "Held Higher than Manwë Himself?"

I pursed my lips and thought about it. "Oooh...that's good. But I was looking for something simpler, something like...'awesome.'" I wiggled my fingers, envisioning sparkles in the air.

Legolas laughed. "I should have known."

I smiled deviously at him. "However...there is _one _thing..."

"And what would that be, _mellon n__î__n?_" (My friend?)

My smile grew a bit. "If you answer my question right, I'll forgive you. But it's a tough question, let me warn you."

Legolas shot me a confident look. "Challenge accepted."

"Okay...You sure you're ready for this?" He nodded, and I took a deep breath. "What...is the meaning of life?"

The elf didn't hesitate for a second before smiling and answering. "Forty-two."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, startling Frania a bit as she continued to follow the others through the tangled mess that was Fangorn Forest. "Oh man...You win. You totally win." I laughed even more at the inside joke that he, Kaia, Kathryn and I shared. "That's great."

I heard Gimli chuckling from behind us, too. "Never did I think that an elf and a woman could be so entertaining."

I nodded to the dwarf. "Why thank you, kind sir."

Legolas suddenly looked ahead for a second, then back to me. "We are here." I also looked forward. The edge of the thick, dark forest was within sight, and I grew serious again. We'd been on the road to Isengard for quite some time now, and I was nervous at what we might discover once we arrived there. Little did I know how surprised I would be once we passed the last line of trees.

oOo

Kaia's POV

"I feel like I'm back at The Green Dragon...a mug of ale in my hand...putting my feet up after a hard day's work," Pippin said from his seat beside me on the ruined stone wall of Isengard.

I shot him a knowing look. "Have you ever even done a hard day's work?"

"Probably not," he said. We both laughed, and he took another long smoke from his pipe. I finished off the last of the red wine we'd taken from the food cellar, along with a plump red apple. After the last bite, I flung it over my head nonchalantly, smiling as I heard it land in the waterlogged area behind us with a _plop_. The sun was high, the sky was a brilliant blue...It was a gorgeous day, and for once I could actually relax and enjoy it, eating and drinking my fill without a care in the world.

Suddenly, movement from the forest in front of us caught my eyes, and I looked up to see several figures on horses emerge from the trees one at a time. Pippin let out a cheerful laugh and raised his mug into the air as a greeting. My heart soared when I spotted the first one, and I jumped down, running over to their leader. "Gandalf!" I didn't hesitate to hug him from where he sat, no matter how awkward it was.

"Hello, my dear Kaia," he said, chuckling and smiling warmly down at me. "I am glad to see you are well."

"Same to you!" I exclaimed, looking over his now shining white robes, hair, staff, and horse. "When did this makeover happen?"

His eyes crinkled as his smile grew. "I shall tell you everything in due time..." His gaze flicked behind me. "But for now, there are others who wish to see you."

I started to turn around, but was unexpectedly tackled from behind. Someone was hugging me tightly, and it took me a second to realize who it was. "Kaia!"

I blinked. "...Erin?" _No way...it can't be! _I pushed her back so I could look at her, my jaw going slack. "But...I thought you were dead!"

She was crying, but not because she was sad. "You've been here in Isengard all this time, haven't you?"

"Yeah," I pulled her into another hug, almost getting choked up myself. "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"You have no idea how worried I was when I heard you weren't with Pippin," she said quietly. "I thought...I mean...I didn't think we'd ever see you again!" She took a shaky breath. "Kaia, I'm so sorry for pushing you into captivity. I wasn't thinking. Can you ever forgive me?"

I finally released her, smiling widely. "You already know the answer to that, Erin. Of course you're forgiven. I was too worried about you to be pissed for too long. And I seriously thought you'd died!"

At this, Erin laughed a bit, and then turned to wink at someone behind us. "I did."

I followed her gaze, again getting overwhelmed with happiness when I saw the next friendly face. "Aragorn!" I ran over to the ranger as he slid off of his horse, hugging him as well. "Thank God you're alive," I whispered.

He chuckled a bit. "I could say the same to you, little sister. You had us all worried sick."

I pulled away again and grinned at him. "Well, I'm still here. Alive and in one piece. And I certainly don't plan on getting split up from you anymore." We smiled at each other for a moment, and then I noticed Legolas and Gimli sitting on a horse together behind him. "Aww, that's cute."

The elf simply laughed and shook his head. "Good to see you as well, Kaia."

"We missed ya, lass!" Gimli piped up.

"I missed you guys, too," I replied, "and I'm sure Pip has also."

Once he heard his name, the curly-haired hobbit stood up in his spot on the wall, spreading his arms. "Welcome to Isengard, my lords!...And lady!" he added with a nod to Erin. She smiled at him.

Gimli scolded us from his spot behind Legolas. "You young rascals!" he said as I climbed back up next to Pippin for another bite of food. "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you here feasting, and...a-and smoking!"

The last bit was obviously directed at Pippin, who easily retorted between bites. "We are sitting...on a field of victory...enjoying a few well-earned comforts." I smirked at the dwarf as the hobbit held a piece of meat up in the air. "The salted pork is particularly good." Erin laughed.

You could seriously see Gimli's mouth watering. "S...s-salted pork?"

"Would you mind sharing that, Pip?" Erin asked with a smile. To our surprise, he actually shook his head and tossed a hunk of it in her direction, which she easily caught and started chewing on. "Sweet!" Gimli stared at it longingly.

Gandalf just shook his head and sighed at Pippin's actions. "Hobbits."

"So why are you just sitting out here?" Erin asked, though I figured she already knew the answer.

"We're under orders from Treebeard!" I spoke up. "He's taken over management of Isengard, if you know what I mean." Erin made a suggestive face that only I caught and winked at the meme reference. I smiled.

"And he is still here, I presume?" Gandalf asked.

Pippin nodded. "Yes! He's guarding the tower inside."

"Then we must ride forward to meet with him," the wizard replied. "Come quickly!" The two of us grabbed another bite of bread or something before jumping down and running back over to their small group. I climbed onto Erin's horse behind her, and Pippin hitched a ride with Aragorn.

As I looked around, I noticed an older man with short blonde hair wearing fancy armor, a younger man with longer, dirty-blonde hair and equally special armor, and a redhead holding a flag with a white horse on it behind us. I poked Erin in the back. "Who are they?" I whispered.

"People from Rohan," she answered. "Théoden, their king, Éomer, his nephew, and Gamling, one of their advisers and guards." I looked at each of them as she spoke, quickly figuring out who was who. "That's where the rest of us have been for the past few months, including Kathryn."

My eyes widened for the tenth time in the past five minutes as Erin nudged her horse forward. "Kathryn...like, from back home? She's here, too?"

"Yup. I'll explain everything later," she said. "Right now we gotta go deal with a grumpy wizard."

**A/N: And so begins the final installment in this series! :D I've been looking forward to get into this one, as many of you know. :3 I think I'll do what I've done with the other three books and hold off on updates for about a week now that I've started this book. Place your bets now on what's gonna happen to who and when and where and why and all that fun stuff. XD I'm really trying to only leave the subtlest hints as to what the future holds, so if any of you guys figure out what I've got planned, I'll cry. Lol jk, not really. XD I will be kinda shocked, though. With all that being said, please take the time to review! The number of them has been steadily increasing, and it would be the most amazing thing ever if this fic could break 100 reviews by the time I'm finished. :D Hope you all have an awesomesauce week! Until next time!**


	2. Crap, Now There's a Prophecy?

**A/N: Hey there! :D Are you guys ready to start getting into Return of the King stuff? I know I am! :D :D :D It feels nice to come home from school and then be able to sit down, forget everything, and just write this fic while listening to the LotR soundtrack. XD Especially since these first couple days of school have been kinda hectic. Enjoy this chapter! :)**

To Whatever End: Chapter Two

Erin's POV

As we passed through what remained of the ruined gate to Isengard, I couldn't help but smile. Pippin had certainly proven himself for getting the Ents to attack Saruman. _Maybe Merry's death is nothing major to worry about after all. _My attention was drawn forward again when I heard a slow, rumbling voice that could only be Treebeard.

"Hmmmmm...young Master Gandalf! I'm, hoooooom...glad you've come." The wise old Ent looked over the rest of our group briefly before continuing, and I noticed that the men of Rohan were all staring up at him, wide-eyed. I smiled a bit. "Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there's a wizard to manage here...locked in his tower."

From beside me, I saw Aragorn staring at the top of Orthanc, anger flashing in his eyes. "...Show yourself..." he whispered.

Gandalf heard him. "Be careful! Even in defeat, Saruman in dangerous."

"Then let's just have his head and be done with it!" Gimli said.

"I'm okay with that," Kaia added.

But Gandalf just shook his head. "No! We need him alive...we need him to talk."

There was a moment of silence, and I stared directly at the peak of the black tower, waiting for the traitor to show his cowardly face. When there finally was movement up there, I sneered. From down here, all I could see was a white blur against the blue sky, but Saruman's voice sounded like it was right in my ear as he stepped up closer to the edge so I could see his face. "You have fought many wars and slain many men, Théoden King, and made peace afterwards." The way he leaned forward on his staff made him seem slightly crippled. "Can we not take council together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?"

The tone of his voice was sickeningly sweet, and his words echoed in my head, repeating themselves over and over. For a second, they actually seemed to make sense. I mean...it wasn't his fault that Sauron had overtaken his mind...Maybe he was being sincere. After all, he looked like nothing more than a weak old man up there.

And then a familiar buzz of warmth on my right hand brought me back to reality. I glanced down at the Ring of Unity, which again seemed to shine brighter than normal in the presence of the fallen wizard. _I guess it always does that when faced with a purely evil thing or person. _I silently thanked the elves for adding that little defense mechanism into it and snapped out of my slight trance as Théoden spoke.

"We shall have peace," he said. Although his voice started out a bit shaky, it grew stronger and angrier as he went on, filled with a burning hatred for the wizard. "We shall have peace...when you answer for the burning of the Westfold, and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace...when the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg, are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet...for the sport of your own crows!" He finished with a venomous tone. "We shall have peace."

Saruman got pretty pissed at that. "Gibbets and crows? Dotard!" he spat. He then looked to the wizard that was on our side. "And what do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess. The key of Orthanc, or perhaps the keys of Barad-Dûr itself?" he asked sarcastically. "Along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards?" His dark eyes flicked to Kaia and I momentarily. "Or do you simply wish to punish me for all I have done to you?" When he made that comment, I felt Kaia stiffen behind me, and I frowned. _Was that directed at her? What did I miss?_

Gandalf wasn't here to listen to him ramble, though. "Consequences for your actions have come naturally to you," he said, "for your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk. But you can save them, Saruman! You were deep in the Enemy's council."

He would've gone one, but Saruman interrupted. "So you have come here for information? I have some for you." He reached into his robes and pulled out none other than the palantír he owned. Again, Atontarya grew hot on my finger.

I felt Kaia shift nervously behind me when Saruman held it up, so I turned my head and shot her a worried look. "Something wrong?" I whispered.

"I've seen that thing before," she said warily. "We shouldn't take it." I nodded in understanding and turned forward again.

"Something festers in the heart of Middle-Earth. Something that you have failed to see," Saruman said. I frowned. _What does he mean by that? _"But the Great Eye has seen it. Even now he presses his advantage." He hid the palantír again, now with a sort of twisted smile on his face. "His attack will come soon. You are all going to die." Gandalf nudged Shadowfax forward a few feet, moving away from the rest of us.

"I've heard enough," I heard Kaia mumble. Before I could stop her, she was shouting up at the wizard. "Hey! Shut up! You don't know anything, asshole!"

Saruman looked back at Kaia, and I could hear the barely suppressed rage in his voice when he spoke. "So you have escaped. I see the bewitched trees were on your side." He smirked a bit. "It matters not. You never amounted to anything more than an annoyance to me, _slave_." He hissed the last word at her.

Kaia sounded like she wanted to rip his voice box out. "I'm not your damn slave," she growled. "I never was. Don't you go spouting shit you know isn't true!"

"So it is truth that you seek, then? Honesty?" He still had a smile on his face. "Then it would please both you and your friends to know something." At this, I also looked up at the wizard, and what he said next made my blood run cold.

"One of you will not survive this war."

_What?!_ I physically tensed and watched him carefully for any sign that he was lying, but I saw none. Saruman's gaze flicked back and forth between the two of us for a moment, but when he looked at me last, his smirk grew just the tiniest bit. He started rambling and talking to Gandalf again, but I completely zoned out. _Saruman can't be telling the truth, right? He's a liar! He can't be serious!...So why does a part of me feel like that really is the truth? If one of us died...oh gosh, it'd better be me. I don't think I could handle seeing Kaia or Kathryn die. _I heard Kaia shout Gandalf's name, and refocused my attention on what was happening around me to see him and Shadowfax emerge from a blazing fire unscathed.

"Saruman! Your staff is broken!" the Istari shouted. Just like that, the traitor's black tool of power cracked and shattered into a billion pieces. He looked shocked and – what made me happiest – terrified as he turned his gaze to us again. Almost pained, even.

Knowing how this scene typically played out, I expected to see Grima come crawling up beside his broken and defeated master. When this didn't happen, I frowned and looked back over my shoulder at my best friend. "Where's Grima?"

Kaia narrowed her eyes a bit. "Dead," was her short, clipped answer.

"What?" I blinked. "But..." I looked back to the wizard. _Grima's the one who's supposed to kill Saruman! What now?_

Apparently he was still going at it, even without his staff. "You sen your twisted, corrupted force of nature to belittle me and torture me here, in my own halls, then come and ask for favors? You are all fools if you expect me to comply!"

I remembered that Saruman had to die in order for us to get the palantír, though. I glanced, around nervously for a minute. _Think, Erin, think! You've gotta do something! _My eyes landed on Legolas' back, or more specifically, his bow and arrow. "Legolas!" I hissed. He turned and shot me a questioning look. I nodded my head in Saruman's direction. "Shoot him!"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

"We need that palantír," I said, "and obviously he's not gonna give it up willingly."

"But Gandalf should be able to-"

"Legolas, _please_," I whispered urgently. "Just trust me."

The elf looked undecided for a moment, but finally proceeded to quietly reach for his bow and pull an arrow back, unbeknownst to the others (well, except Gimli, but he didn't care).

Saruman was still ranting. "You know that you are all powerless to defeat the Dark Lord! The fate of Middle-Earth is-" He gasped mid-sentence as an arrow with yellow feathers embedded itself deep into his chest, right in the heart. All eyes turned to Legolas, who looked at them all uncomfortably for a moment, then pointed to me.

When their gazes turned in my direction, I shrugged. "Well we had to speed things up somehow." This resulted in several raised eyebrows and 'wtf' looks, which I expected. I did catch Aragorn fighting back a smile, though. The only problem now was that Saruman hadn't died and fallen forward like he was supposed to. Instead, he'd fallen onto his back, and was now laying at the top of Orthanc, out of everyone's reach.

Kaia then said out loud what a lot of us were probably thinking. "So now how are we supposed to get the palantír?"

Gandalf opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when a loud _splash _sounded not three yards from where we were gathered. I could've burst out laughing at the sight of the marble from hell conveniently rolling right off of Orthanc's peak and landing in a patch of really thick moss that was floating in the water.

"That answers that question," Gimli muttered. At his comment, I did smile a bit, but it quickly faded as Gandalf dismounted his horse and went over to retrieve the fallen seeing stone, wrapping it in a thick white cloth when he picked it up.

He made the mood serious again when he spoke. "We must alert our allies, along with all others who still stand free. Sauron will strike very soon, and we must be prepared since we do not know where that will happen. For now, we shall return to Edoras." He smoothly remounted Shadowfax and said a quick goodbye to Treebeard before starting off again, the rest of us following close behind.

As we slipped out of Isengard, I remembered what I still had to return to Kaia. "These are yours, by the way," I said as I unhooked the belt holding her black katanas from my hips.

She took them back eagerly. "Oh my God! I thought that I'd lost them forever! How did you find these?"

"Éomer gave them to me. He said he found them after they slaughtered the Uruks that captured you guys." I fell silent again as we continued forward, heading back to Edoras, with Saruman's prophetic warning still ringing in my mind.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

It was another ordinary day in Edoras. I was spending my small amount of free time that I had in the afternoon in my bedroom, lounging on my bed and doing absolutely nothing. I'd been laying there for about half an hour or so, spacing out and staring up at the ceiling, when the door flew open and hit the wall with a loud _bang._

Of course, this made me nearly jump out of my skin. "GAH!" I looked over to see who had disrupted my quiet time, and then glared at the man in the doorway. "Éomer! I've told you at least a million times not to do that!"

The dirty blonde laughed as I stood up and walked over to him. "But it's such fun to scare you, Kathryn."

I squinted and lightly smacked him in the head. "Yeah, well one day I'm gonna die from a heart attack because of you, and then you'll be sorry. I'll come back and haunt you every single day."

"I do not doubt that," he said, still smiling.

After a second, I looked over at him again. "Well, sir? Is there anything you were planning on doing besides scaring the crap out of me?"

"Actually, yes," he said. "I came to tell you that we came back from Isengard...though one would think that you would've figured that out already since I'm standing right in front of you," he teased.

I felt like such an idiot for not realizing it sooner. "Oh my God! You're back!" I squealed, then hugged him tightly. "And you're not dead!"

Éomer laughed again and returned the hug. "Thankfully not. Your friends are looking for you."

"Who?"

"The girls...Erin and Kaia, right?"

Once again, I nearly smacked myself. How could I have forgotten about them? "OH! I gotta go find them! See ya, Éomer!" With that, I let him go and ran out of the room, tearing through the hallways and heading straight for the main throne room of The Golden Hall. As soon as I got there, I spotted Erin on the left side of the room, talking to another girl that was leaning against one of the pillars...A girl I hadn't seen since my Earth days. "KAIA!" I shouted, running over and glomping her immediately.

"What the hell?" She tensed, freaking out at the random person who came up and attacked her. "Do I know you?"

Though I was facing away from her, I could hear Erin laughing. "Does the name 'Kathryn' ring a bell?" she asked.

"Kathryn?" Kaia gasped, then pushed me back so we could clearly see each other. "Oh God, it is you! You're here!" She quickly hugged me again, then let go.

I laughed. "Ma'am, I wouldn't just pretend to be here. You know that."

"I do," she admitted, looking me over with a smile. "You haven't changed, Twilight."

"Lawl, ponies," I grinned, "but you have! Your hair, I mean...it's curly! And long! And you're not wearing makeup! Or any of your jewelry!"

"Your Creation bracelet finally came off," Erin said with a smile.

Kaia laughed. "I know, I look hideous."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Oh, you do not."

"LIES!" Kaia yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her. "But seriously, this is awesome. Who would've thought that the three of us would get wrapped up in this crazy adventure together? This in insane."

"I know!" Erin agreed, and I nodded. "Now we all gotta tell each other what we've been up to lately. You don't know Kaia's story at all," she said, pointing to me, "I haven't seen her since February, and she doesn't know what's happened to either of us since then."

"Tonight's gonna be a long night," I said.

Kaia nodded. "Yeah, but it'll be worth it."

"Definitely." I looked around for a second, then grabbed both of their arms and hauled them away. "Now come on! If my boss sees me out here doing nothing, I'm screwed." All three of us laughed and headed off to my small room, prepared for a much-needed reunion sleepover.

oOo

"...and then Pippin and I came back here with Erin and the others," Kaia finished.

I stared at her from my position on the single bed, shocked. "Are you serious? Saruman did all that to you?"

Kaia nodded solemnly and pulled the sleeve of her white undershirt down again, covering the symbol of the White Hand that had been permanently branded onto her. Since I'd been in Rohan when all that crap was going on, I understood how bad that was for her. "He was an ass," she said simply, "and I'm glad he's dead Though it would've been better if I was the one that shot him."

"Except you can't shoot with a bow to save your life," Erin jokingly pointed out.

"Right?" she agreed, laughing a bit.

"Wow," I said, "your story makes mine look like nothing."

"That's lucky for you," Erin said. "You had it easy."

Kaia looked over at Erin. "Yeah, I can't believe Haldir didn't make it. I'm sorry, bro."

She shrugged. "It wasn't your fault. I've moved on. There's no point in dwelling on something that happened over a month ago."

"True, true," Kaia nodded. "You kept the necklace?" She pointed to it.

Erin looked down at her pendant. "Yeah...I feel like it would be rude to get of it, though."

We all fell silent for a minute or two before Kaia spoke up again. "So...nothing else major happened with you, Erin?"

"No."

Kaia seemed to think about that for a moment, almost like she was disappointed about something. I could easily guess what it was, because when Erin glanced away, she shot me a look that said _"We've gotta corner him later." _I subtly nodded in agreement.

Erin suddenly looked back at us. "There was something else I wanted to talk with you guys about, now that we're done sharing our stories."

I sat up a bit more. "What is it?"

She glanced at both of us a bit nervously before she began. "When we were talking with Saruman in Isengard, he...he told Kaia and I something. He said that...one of us-" Here she pointed to our trio members "-isn't going to survive this war."

Kaia rolled her eyes and scoffed, leaning back a bit. "Oh, come on. You don't seriously believe him, do you? Erin, this is Saruman we're talking about. A servant of the Enemy. He'll do anything to mess with your mind and freak you out."

"I know, I know, but...either way, I can't stop thinking about it," she replied. "Even if he was a bad guy, that doesn't mean what he said was a lie." She looked down.

"But I'll bet you good money that it is," Kaia said. I frowned the tiniest bit. She seemed like she seriously didn't want Erin to flip tables about this. Then again...it's Kaia.

Erin looked up at us both again. "Whether he was being truthful or not, it won't hurt us to at least be wary of that. I think the three of us should stick together for the rest of this war. That way we can keep tabs on each other and protect ourselves better."

"I got no problem with that," I said, raising my hands in that 'I come in peace' kind of way. "If it means that we'll be traveling together from now on, I like the idea."

Kaia shrugged. "As long we don't get super-paranoid about it, then sure."

"Thank you," Erin said, smiling a bit. "That at least helps me feel less nervous."

"No problemo," I said, flashing a cheesy anime smile. They both laughed. "Well, as much as I hate doing this, I gotta kick you two out. Elric will probably have tons of crap for me to do tomorrow."

Erin and Kaia both nodded and stood up. "Okay, then...see you tomorrow?" the brunette offered.

I smiled. "Yep! See ya tomorrow!"

They both headed for the door. "Bye, Kathryn," Kaia said.

"Bye!" I called out as I closed the door after them. It wasn't until it clicked shut that I remembered a very important detail. _So I just made a promise to stay with them...right after I thought __about going home. _"Dang it!" I said, stomping my foot. "How's that gonna work out? Ugh, I'm such an idiot! Damn memory loss." I flopped down on my bed, burying my face in my pillow. _I guess I can ask Gandalf about it anyway...After all, I'd rather not die because of war if I don't have to. Heck, I don't wanna die, period. And Faramir's probably totally forgotten about me by now, anyway...Maybe I should go home._


	3. Finally?

**A/N: Heehee...I've been waiting to get to this chapter for a looooong time. :3 I hope you guys like it! This is gonna be a longer one, because a lot of stuff is happening here. It's gonna get pretty intense! :D A lot of you are going to be very pleased. ;) Happy reading!**

To Whatever End: Chapter Three

Erin's POV

Despite all the serious foreboding stuff that seemed to be happening currently, all of Edoras was obviously excited for one thing: the party. It wasn't really just a random thing thrown together for entertainment, it was a party of remembrance for those who died at Helm's Deep...but a party nonetheless. We returned from our run-in with Saruman a week prior to the night of the celebration, and I for one was glad for the spare time. Eventually June twenty-eighth rolled around, and on that day I was sick for the anniversary of my spider-poisoning when traveling through Mirkwood with Legolas so long ago. Yeah...not a fun day (though it certainly helped to have Kathryn around at that time. The girl had picked up some seriously awesome healing skills from her time spent in Middle-Earth).

As soon as I was back on my feet, Kaia whisked me off for a bunch of shopping, which was really unlike her. We spent almost an entire day roaming through the town's shops and buying all kinds of fancy stuff for the two of us, but Kaia seemed to be more focused on me than herself.

After about three hours of searching for 'my perfect dress,' I called her out on it. "Okay, I give up. What's going on?"

Kaia didn't look up from where she was flipping through a rack of brightly-colored fabric. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all this!" I waved my hands about in a wild gesture to the store around us. "I've never seen you so...enthusiastic about this kind of stuff."

"What, you mean the shopping spree?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm talking about you meeting my uncle, Jack Sparrow. Of course I mean the shopping spree!"

She finally pulled something out that was a pretty shade of red. "Ooh, I like this one. Go try it on." She shoved it into my arms.

I shoved it back. "Not until you explain what all this is for."

"For the party! I thought that was obvious."

"We've been to parties before, Kaia. You've never gotten this into it. Not even for homecoming back in high school!"

She gave me a look. "Homecoming's overrated. You and I both know that." Now her expression changed; she looked much more sincere. "I'm sorry if it's bugging you. I didn't mean to be this weird about it. But you and I haven't been to a serious party like this in _years_. I just wanted to make the most of it."

I eyed her for a moment longer, unsure of whether or not she was telling the truth. Then I sighed mentally. _Come on, Erin. Kaia's just trying to be nice. And even if this is one of those times where she's actually being all girly about something, then just go with it. That doesn't happen often. _I smiled a bit and took the dress back. "I like this side of you. You should show it more often."

She just laughed and pushed me in the direction of the changing areas. "Don't push your luck."

oOo

Kaia's POV

As soon as Erin was out of sight, I smirked and leaned back against the wooden wall. _If only __she knew the real reason for all this. She'll probably kill me after the party. _Then I went back to finding a dress for myself, and a backup for her if the red one didn't work out. _But if all goes as it should..._I couldn't help myself from laughing a bit. _It's gonna be an interesting night, that's for sure._

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I finally got let off of work for a short break and was weaving my way through the halls of Meduseld, looking for a particular wizard. I popped my head into the throne room and glanced around. "Hey!" I shouted. "Has anyone seen Gandalf?"

It was none other than Éomer who answered me. "When last I saw, he was headed for the room that he shares with the other men."

I smiled. "Thanks!" I turned and started to run off, but stopped when I almost crashed into his sister. "Oh! Sorry, Éowyn! Didn't see you there!"

"It is alright, Kathryn," she said. "Might I ask where you are off to in such a hurry?"

"I've gotta go ask Gandalf about something," I said. Just as I stepped around her, something popped into my head, and I spun on my heels, running to catch up with her. "Wait! Have we gotten any messages lately from Gondor?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Éomer would have picked them up to read over them if we've received anything."

"Sweet!" I ran around her again and back into the throne room, skidding to a stop when I reached the blonde horse-lord, who was currently sitting on the floor next to his uncle's throne and looking at several papers. My hopes rose a little. "Éomer!" His head snapped up at his name, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw me standing over him.

"I thought you were looking for Gandalf," he said.

"I am," I replied, "but I wanted to know if we'd gotten anything from Gondor." As close as we were, Éomer knew nothing about Faramir and I. Éowyn was the only one that I'd said anything to. I'd have to be careful what I said, or he'd know that something was up.

He flipped through the small stack of papers in his hands. "No, no, no...Ah! Here's one! It just arrived a few days ago, in fact."

"Can I have it for a second?"

He looked at me funny. "Why?"

"Your sister asked me to bring it to her if there was a letter from Gondor. She wanted to read it." Éomer nodded and handed it over. Sure enough, it was addressed to King Théoden from Lord Denethor in Minas Tirith himself. My hopes rose a little more as I scurried off to a more private area where I could read it.

I felt kind of bad for reading the king's letter, but I seriously wanted news about Faramir. Once or twice, he'd asked the king to tell me that he said hi, and I always got all warm and fuzzy inside when that happened. He hadn't done that in a long time, though, so now I was worried. I opened the dark grey wax seal and scanned through the letter, written in the Steward's crisp, precise handwriting. I mumbled to myself as I looked it over. "Greetings, King Théoden...political matters...doing good...Mordor...other crap...blah blah blah..." My heart sank as I finished. "...And nothing about Faramir." I sighed dejectedly and folded the letter back up neatly. "So much for a relationship with him, I guess." I'd even sent him a couple letters of my own from time to time, but he'd only ever written back once.

Feeling a bit ticked at how he'd apparently just forgotten me like that, I frowned and walked back into the throne room, quickly handing the letter back to Éomer before continuing on out of the room and down into the guest wing. "So much for having a reason to stay here," I muttered as I found the room that all of the Fellowship guys were staying in.

I knocked on the door first before going in. After all, I wouldn't want to walk in on someone changing or anything (that would be so awkward). A moment later, a muffled "come in" was heard from inside, so I opened the door, thankful that Gandalf was sitting on his bed, not looking like he was busy doing anything. When he saw me, he smiled. "Ah, Lady Kathryn. How are you?"

I bowed a bit and nodded to him. "I'm alright, Gandalf. I actually wanted to ask you about something, if you don't mind."

"Not at all!" He motioned for me to come over, so I sat down next to him. "Now, what is it that you wished to talk about?"

"It's a...weird subject. I...I wanted to ask you if it was possible for me to go home. Back to Earth, I mean."

If Gandalf was shocked at all, he didn't show it. He exhaled and looked away for a few moments, deep in thought. After a bit of awkward silence, the old wizard looked back at me seriously. "I'm not sure, to be quite frank with you. If there is a way for you to return home, I do not know how it would be done."

_Wow. My hopes are just being squished flat today, aren't they? _"Oh. Well...would there be a way for you to find that out?"

"Possibly," he said. "I would have to do a bit of research, but I do believe that it could be done. After all, you had to have gotten here somehow. Perhaps that same power, or whatever it is that brought you here, could also return you to your world if you wish."

"How soon do you think you'd be able to figure this out?" I asked.

"That I also do not know." Upon seeing my deflated expression, he apologized. "I am sorry, Kathryn. Your request will likely have to wait for awhile. However, I can promise you that when I get a chance, I will do some poking around and see if I can't find a way to get you back home."

I smiled a bit more at that. "Thanks. It means a lot."

"Not a problem," he said kindly. It was quiet for a few more second, until he asked me another question. "If you do not mind me asking, dear, why is it that you want to go back to your home?"

I didn't answer right away, because I didn't want to offend him, but after a minute, I sighed. "I just...I don't feel like I have a purpose here. It's like...Erin and Kaia have already been on the majority of this big adventure. They've got everything under control, and I wouldn't really be able to help you guys out in this war anyway. And plus...Erin told me what Saruman said. About one of us dying and all. I...I just don't want that to be me."

Gandalf listened patiently as I talked, and then finally laid a hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I understand, Kathryn. If you truly do feel uncomfortable here in Middle-Earth, then I shall do my very best to ensure that you are able to return home safely."

I smiled at him again. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that a lot."

"You're very welcome." With that, I stood up, said goodbye, and left the room, heading back out to the main hall to start getting some more of my chores done. I felt kind of selfish about wanting to leave Erin and Kaia behind, but...they had each other. Honestly, they really didn't need me.

oOo

Kaia's POV

I pinned one last lock of Erin's brown hair into place and stepped back with a grin. "You're done."

She opened her eyes, and I moved out of the way so that she could see herself in the mirror. Her face lit up as she looked herself over from head to toe. "Oh wow..." She then turned and quickly hugged me tight, laughing. "Thank you, papaya! This is so awesome!"

I pulled away. "No problem. Now don't do anything stupid and mess it up."

"I definitely won't!" she replied, looking into the mirror again. I smiled to myself, proud of my handiwork. Erin was dressed for the party in a light pink gown that had a pattern consisting of lots of super-thin stripes in a slightly lighter shade of pink, but when caught in the light they shimmered in almost a metallic way. It had a simple sweetheart neckline, with loose belled sleeves that were off-shoulder. There was a small white ruffle as trim along the top, dotted with tiny pearls, along with a thin pearl belt around the waistline that hung down a bit longer in the front. She didn't wear any accessories other than the strands of more small pearls that Éowyn had let her borrow, which had been woven into her hair. I had just finished pulling it up off of her neck and into an adorable braided updo on the back of her head.

Kathryn twisted around in her seat from where Éowyn was putting the finishing touches on her outfit and beamed. "Aww, you look like a princess!" She wore a solid gown of dark blue, also with off-shoulder sleeves that were short and semi-puffy. Patterned silver trim was on the chest line of her dress, and at the middle of her stomach, the dark fabric split straight down the middle to reveal a second lighter blue layer underneath. The split was also rimmed with silver detailing. Her hair had been dried in a braid, so now it fell in soft waves around her face, with two locks of it from the front pulled together and tied in the back, courtesy of Éowyn. The princess of Rohan had been nice enough to let us get ready in her giant room and help us out.

And then there was me. My dress was a deep shade of red, also solid, with a more squared neckline that was brown with tiny golden dots as detailing. The same brown and gold pattern was on the bottom of the skirt, and the red sleeves were tight-fitting, stopping at my elbows. A small brown ruffled cuff was on each of them, and I wore and brown and gold belt around my middle. There was also my gold necklace with the dark blue gem from Elrond that I still wore (I didn't care if it matched or not, I was gonna wear it), along with a gold charm that was studded with a red gem that dangled loosely from the middle of the neckline.

All three of us looked awesome, I gotta admit. Erin looked back at me with a smile as Kathryn finished up and rose from her seat. "Shall we go, then?" she asked in a silly British accent.

I laughed a bit at her random accent. "We shall indeed," was my reply.

"You know, neither of you do it right," Kathryn said, joining in on the fun. "I do believe I've got the best fake accent out of the three of us."

Erin rolled her eyes and shot Kathryn a devious smirk. In an accent that put Kathryn's to shame, she replied "Don't be so sure of that, dearest." The two of us just stared at her, a bit shocked. Whenever we'd done accents back home, Erin would always get embarrassed to show us hers, so we'd never heard it. When she saw our faces, she just laughed, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What?" she continued, still sounding like British. "Obviously I'd be able to mimic it pretty well after watching both _Lord of the Rings _and _Pirates of the Caribbean _so many times."

_She's got a point, _I thought, but in reality I just shook my head and looked at both of my best friends. "Well! We've got a party to go to, ladies! Come on!" With that, I grabbed both of them and started dragging them towards the hallway that led out into the main hall, Éowyn following closely behind. _It's gonna be quite a night._

oOo

"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country." I watched as Théoden raised his goblet out towards the crowd. "Hail the victorious dead!"

"HAIL!" everyone in the crowded room replied. I said nothing, but raised my glass in a toast to them and sipped at my drink, the familiar bittersweet taste of beer on my tongue. I didn't plan on drinking much that night. I honestly felt awkward drinking in memory of those who died even now, since I wasn't even at that battle to begin with. I glanced at Aragorn on my right, who hesitated before fully bringing the cup to his lips, a distant look in his eyes. Erin was on my left with a similar expression, and I instantly knew who they were both thinking of.

After that, Théoden spoke again. "While it shall always remain a heavy burden on our hearts to have gone through such loss and suffering, there is also reason for celebration! A great victory has been won for Rohan at Helm's Deep!" Here many people clapped and cheered. "Eat, drink, and be merry! For never again shall Saruman the Traitor harm our people!" He said this last bit triumphantly, and the cheering grew into a thunderous applause as the king finished his short speech and stepped down from the raised area at the front of the throne room.

Once it died down, people started splitting up and heading in various directions to get the party started. I almost followed after Erin as I watched her disappear into the crowd, but decided to go hang out with Aragorn for a bit instead. _Might as well catch up with him a bit while I can._

He seemed to sense that I was one step behind him as he moved through the crowds, saying hi to random people that talked to him. Eventually, he glanced over his shoulder at me. "You look wonderful tonight, Kaia," he said politely.

I smiled a bit. "Thanks, man. This is probably the only time you'll ever see me like this, so enjoy it while you can."

He chuckled a bit, finally stopping and standing by one of the pillars so he could face me completely. "You never were one for dressing up."

"And I never will be." He smiled a bit again, but something wasn't quite right. It wasn't genuine. I frowned a bit. "Something's on your mind." It was a statement, not a question. He said nothing at first. "It's Haldir, isn't it?" But the ranger shook his head, and then I realized what was seriously bothering him. "Arwen?"

Aragorn sighed and nodded. "It has been weighing on my mind heavily lately."

I pitied him. He'd finally found the love of his life...the one woman who could make him happy...and he couldn't have her. She was an elf, and she belonged in the Undying Lands with all the others. "You shouldn't worry about her so much. That won't help anything."

"How could I not?" he asked quietly. "I have not seen or heard from her since Rivendell, and the last words I spoke to her were that she should leave to be with her kin." I could see the love he had for her in his eyes as he finished. "But that is not truly where my heart desires for her to be."

I nodded. "I understand. You don't want her to suffer here in these evil times, but keeping her safe means you'll never see her again." I fell silent for a moment, thinking of what to say. Finally, I settled for just clapping a hand on his shoulder and smiling hopefully at him when he met my gaze. "I know, Aragorn. Life sucks, but...you'll see her again one day. I know you will." _I'll make sure of that._

Aragorn smiled a tiny bit. "Thank you," he said with a nod.

"No problem," I replied. My best guy friend then looked around for a second before saying that he was going to go off to find Éomer. He left, and I spent a couple minutes entertaining myself before I finally ran into the guy that Aragorn was looking for. He was operating a beer keg at the end of a long table and passing it out to random Rohirric men, and acknowledged me with a nod. I nodded back, also spotting Gimli seated at the bench of said table, talking to another person I didn't know. When he walked away, I plopped down next to the dwarf and clapped a hand on his back. "Hey Gimli! What's up?"

He smiled at me through his beard. "There ye are, lass! I was actually about to look for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Me? Why?"

He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in closer and spoke quietly. "I've been meanin' to get revenge on the elf for some time since he made such a big deal about his loss at the last battle."

I didn't get what he was referencing there, but that didn't matter. "A challenge? What exactly did you have in mind?"

Gimli smirked a little bit. "...A drinking competition."

Already I was brainstorming how this could work to my advantage. I smiled at the dwarf. "Oh, hell yes! Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

I turned around at the new voice behind me, and my smile only grew. "Legolas, you have incredible timing. You know that?"

The elf looked at me for a second, but then just smiled. "Thank you, I suppose. Now who were you and Gimli looking for?"

"You, of course!" I said, pushing him around to the other side of the table. "Now sit down!"

"What? Why?"

"You'll see in a minute," I said, already moving past him and back out into the crowd. "Don't start until I get back!" I called to Gimli over my shoulder. Now I just had to go find a certain best friend of mine.

oOo

Erin's POV

"The Game."

Kathryn's expression changed to a look of rage, and she punched me in the arm. "You suck!"

I laughed, trying not to fall backwards off of the bench I was sitting on. "Ow! That actually kind of hurt!"

"Good!" We were sitting at a long table together, just hanging out and talking about whatever came to mind. Éowyn had been with us a couple minutes ago, but she'd gone off somewhere on her own. "You deserved that!"

"Oh, come on Kathryn. You know I have to troll you whenever possible. It's in my blood!" I said with a grin.

"I still hate you," she said, shooting daggers at me.

I laughed. "No you don't. You love me. You know you do."

"No, I'm pretty sure I hate you."

"You're in denial!" I said, playfully slapping her. We both laughed, and suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I tipped my head backwards and saw Kaia standing over me from an upside-down angle. "Why hello there."

"Erin! Come with me dude, you gotta see this!" She motioned for me to get up, and I did so.

I looked at her weirdly. "What's going on now? Is there a fight going on somewhere?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, no, no. Better. Legolas and Gimli are gonna have a drinking competition."

A grin broke out on my face as I realized that she was talking about the infamous drinking game from the extended edition of _Return of the King. _"No way. You're serious?" She nodded, and I laughed. "Well, what are we standing here for? Let's go!" I stepped forward, but then stopped and turned back to Kathryn. "You wanna come?"

She smiled. "As much as I'd like to see that, I think I'm gonna go find Éowyn. She wanted to hang out for a bit tonight. Let me know who wins!" she shouted as Kaia started dragging me away.

"Got it!" I called back. Kaia had a pretty good sense of direction, because within two minutes we'd arrived at the scene. It was set up just as it was in the movie, with Legolas standing on one side of the table, Gimli seated on the other, and Éomer operating the keg and serving the drinks to the two.

We arrived just in time to hear the dirty blonde going over the rules. "No pauses...no spills." He handed each of them a mug filled to the brim with beer.

"And no regurgitation!" Gimli added. I laughed a bit, which caused all three males to look over at Kaia and I.

"We came to watch," I said with a grin. Glancing at the two competitors, I went on. "There's no way I'm missing this."

Legolas nodded, smiling at me in greeting. Then he looked back at Éomer. "So...it's a drinking game?"

"Last one standing wins," Gimli said with a confident glint in his eye. He laughed.

"And what exactly do you get when you win?" Kaia asked.

All three of them paused before starting and looked at each other. "...Do they need a reward?" I asked, looking over at Kaia.

"Of course you do! That's a stupid question," she replied with a smile. She thought about it for a minute, and then gasped. "I've got it! Whoever wins gets...a kiss."

My eyebrows shot just as high as the others', and my jaw dropped slightly. "What? Kaia, are you sure you want to-"

"Yep! That's it! That's the prize! Whoever wins gets a kiss on the lips! Now go!" Kaia nudged Gimli in the back. The dwarf needed no further urging now that he was thinking he'd win both a victory over Legolas and a kiss, so he went right at it, gulping down his first mug in a matter of seconds. Éomer was just openly staring at Kaia in shock, and Legolas shrugged and just went with it. I laughed to myself as he slowly lifted the mug up, smelling it (of all things) before taking a sip of the unfamiliar drink.

When he pulled it away, I laughed at the look on his face. "You're too used to the elvish wine!" I teased, standing between Éomer and Kaia as the face-off began.

He glanced over at me, but said nothing as he continued to down the stuff. As elf and dwarf went head to head, I looked over at my best friend. "You're seriously volunteering to kiss whoever wins? What if it's Gimli?" I whispered.

Kaia laughed, though she surprisingly didn't seem nervous at all. "I'll just pray to God that it's not Gimli."

oOo

I looked up from where I sat on the edge of the table's bench that Gimli was on and smiled, shaking my head. Legolas drained his fifteenth mug (I was the one who was keeping track) and set in on the table. He was seriously chugging it like it was water. Since I hadn't been allowed to move and refused to drink alcohol still, Kaia had been awesome enough to run and get me some water, which I had finished some time ago. She'd gotten herself a turkey leg, and was still working on that.

We'd been here for...half an hour, at least. Maybe a little less, but _man._ It certainly didn't look like this many empty cups in the movie. Between the two of them, there was a small pile that was steadily growing in the center of the table. Gimli was handed another one, and then proceeded to loudly fart (thank God it wasn't in my direction, or I would've smacked that beer right out of his hand). He looked at us all and laughed, obviously wasted. He was then handed another one and quickly downed it, foam sticking in his beard and all.

I looked back to Legolas, waiting for his line that killed me every time I heard it. But nope, he just emptied another mug and casually set it down before taking another one from Éomer. I was considering leaving and coming back in like, five minutes to see how it ended, but just as I stood up, Gimli looked around at us, a drunken craze in his eyes, and said "It's the dwarves that go swimming...with little hairy women!" He then laughed and burped loudly, and I stepped back so that I was next to Kaia again.

"If you have to kiss him, you're not allowed to wipe the beer off of his beard," I said, grinning.

She didn't even flinch. "Dude, look at Legolas. He's not even affected at all. What the hell? Even I couldn't hold that much." I laughed.

All of a sudden, the elf spoke up. "...I feel something..." We all looked over to him, and already I was smiling like a fool. Éomer had a look on his face that said 'seriously?' "A slight tingling in my fingers!" He looked up at me with a terrified expression. "...I think it's affecting me!"

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing when he said it. They all shot me confused looks, but I kept laughing. "Really? Only after twenty-one mugs of beer?" I asked sarcastically. He still looked a bit freaked out. "Don't worry, you won't die."

Finally, Gimli gave the signal that the game was over. His words were so slurred that I could barely make out what he said, but I knew that the quote was "What did I say? He can't hold his liquor..." He trailed off, going cross-eyed before completely passing out and falling backwards onto the floor. Kaia jumped out of the way to stop him from landing on top of her, dropping her turkey leg in the process.

We all just stared at him for a few seconds, laughing, until Legolas finally spoke up, a smirk on his face. "Game over." The three of us applauded, and his smile grew. Éomer grabbed one last mug of beer for himself and then slipped away, carefully stepping over Gimli as he went around us.

When Legolas stepped out from behind the table and came over to us, Kaia put her hands on her hips with a smug look on her face. "Okay, Legolas. You won. Now you get your kiss." I smiled to myself and leaned back against a pillar to watch, but Kaia didn't move.

After a couple seconds, I raised an eyebrow and laughed. "What now, Kaia? You're afraid to kiss someone who can hold more alcohol than you?"

She then turned to me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh, I'm not the one who's gonna be doing the kissing."

It took about three seconds for me to completely process what she said. As soon as it clicked, I bit my lip hard, already feeling a blush creeping up my neck. I didn't dare look at the elf a few feet away from me. "No...you're serious, aren't you?"

She laughed. She friking _laughed_. "If you remember correctly, all I said was that whoever won would get a kiss. I never said which one of us would be the lucky girl."

I wanted to punch her so badly. _She's not seriously gonna make me do this. No way. Not happening...Oh gosh, she really is serious. I have to kiss Legolas...no. Just...no...I...I can't! He's my best friend! There's no way! I...It'll be so awkward! I can't even...No!_

I finally mustered up the courage to turn and face the blonde prince. He also looked pretty freaked out, as his gaze kept flicking back and forth from me to Kaia, eyes wide. Maybe it was just the lighting, but I swear I saw his ears and face get a little pink as well. _I...no way. No way. I can't do it! It...I just...But what if I don't kiss him? I don't want him to think that I'm grossed out by the thought of it...I mean, I am, but...Oh, I don't want to hurt his feelings...No! No, you shouldn't be caring about his feelings right now! You should be getting the heck out of here before something goes terribly wrong! What if he doesn't want to kiss me either? He probably doesn't! But either way, it'll still be terribly awkward after this...and Kaia probably won't let me get away until I do it..._

Legolas and I finally locked eyes with each other and stared each other down for almost a full minute in silence. I could see Kaia nearly squealing with anticipation out of the corner of my eye. Finally, I exhaled, having made a decision. Without thinking about it, I walked right up to him, grabbed the front of his shirt, and pressed his lips against mine.

It wasn't what I expected at all.

It...

...It was absolutely _electrifying. _

It only lasted about three seconds, but...it was awesome. He kissed back, no hesitation, and something warm exploded inside of me that made my stomach feel all fuzzy. My mind went blank, and all I could think about was how it felt. I could taste the ale on his lips, but I didn't care. It was just...just...Dear God. It...To put it simply, it was _nothing_ I'd ever experienced with Haldir. Not even close.

When I did pull away and open my eyes (They'd been closed?), I looked up at Legolas. He stared back at me, looking pretty flustered, but...satisfied, maybe. _Wow. He's a really good kisser. Has he had practice?_

And then I realized what was happening. I froze. _No. No no no no no no no. No. _Before anyone could say anything, I let go and turned, bolting out of the throne room without looking back. I left Meduseld completely, walking around until I found a secluded spot on the outdoor stone terrace where I could sit with my legs dangling off the edge. I had just kissed Legolas, a full-blooded elf who had been a _friend _of mine, and nothing more than that, for as long as I could remember. I had always been comfortable having him as a friend. I had never wanted it to move beyond that.

...So why did that kiss feel so right?


	4. Okay, Maybe Not

**A/N: Woo! Exciting chapter last time, am I right? ;D Ahh...I'm so glad to finally get that one up. I love the drinking scene from the extended edition to begin with, and adding the kiss in there just made it even better. XD That being said...some of you are gonna virtually slap me after you read this part. Hope you enjoy it anyway! :) Oh, and have any of you seen the very first picture of how Lee Pace is to appear as Thranduil in _The Hobbit_? I just saw them this morning, and he looks so cool! :D I'm even more excited now lol.**

To Whatever End: Chapter Four

Kaia's POV

I was grinning like an idiot when Erin walked up and kissed Legolas, just as I'd planned, but it instantly fell from my face when she stopped and ran out a few seconds later. I blinked, confused as she brushed past me. "Erin!" I shouted, but she either didn't hear me, or just chose to ignore my cry. I frowned. _What's up with her? I thought she'd be happy after the kiss and decide to finally get together with him. _I looked over at Legolas, who seemed like he was thinking the same thing. He looked just as confused, but also incredibly happy at the same time.

The elf finally tore his eyes away from where Erin had disappeared into the crowd and looked at me. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head immediately. "No, no...I don't think so..." I looked back into the crowd. "...I don't know." I paused for a moment, thinking, and then looked back at Legolas. "Go find her."

"Pardon?"

"Go find Erin. Talk to her and find out what happened," I said. "Maybe you can figure out what's wrong and fix it. Now's your best chance to finally be with her, Legolas." He thought about that for a minute, and then his expression changed to one of determination. He nodded and them took off in the same direction as Erin. I watched him go, then stared at the floor. _Shit, I hope she's not mad at me._

oOo

Aragorn's POV

I stepped up next to Gandalf as he stood aside one of the pillars that supported the roof. He was applauding, along with many others, as Pippin clambered off of a tabletop after finishing a song that the crowd had begged him to sing. I smiled a bit as the young hobbit made off to find more to drink, but then remembered why I had been searching for the wizard for several minutes now. "No news of Frodo," I said quietly. No others needed to hear this conversation.

I didn't want to be the one to break the news to Gandalf, but it had to be done. It was easy to see how much he cared for his safety. He seemed to grow more worried about it with each passing day, and this did nothing to ease his burden as he let out a breath. "No word? Nothing?" I shook my head.

"Every day Frodo moves closer to Mordor." I wished that I knew how close they were at this moment. "We have time."

"...How do we know Frodo's alive?"

It was certainly not an easy question to answer, but I hoped that I could at least comfort him a bit. "What does your heart tell you?"

Gandalf thought for a few moments, staring off into space. Finally, he looked at me with a faint smile on his face. "...That Frodo's alive. Yes," he said, nodding a bit as he looked away again. "Yes, he's alive." Another pause. "It comforts me, at least, to know that he is not alone...though even I cannot predict what dangers lie ahead."

"Sam will protect him," I said. "He would not let Frodo come to harm so easily."

He nodded. "That is easy to see, but I fear even for Sam. I do not think he understands the burden that his master bears yet. He knows to protect him from the dangers of the outside world...but often times the worst evils we ever face spawn from our own hearts." I instantly thought of Boromir and Kaia. While I was happy that she had been able to resist the Ring's power, images of Boromir's body still haunted my mind. _I doubt I will ever forget about that._

"Aragorn!" I turned to face the one who had called for me. _Speaking of Kaia..._

I smiled a bit as she approached me. "Where have you been all night? I have hardly seen you."

"Not important," she said quickly. "Do you know where Erin is?"

I looked at her curiously. "Erin? No, I have not seen her. Is something wrong?"

Kaia sighed, looked around once, then turned back to me and shook her head. "No, I...I think she'll be okay for now." She must've seen the concerned look on my face. "Don't worry about it, Aragorn." She then addressed both Gandalf and myself. "So what are you guys up to over here?"

"Enjoying the night while it lasts," the wizard replied. Kaia laughed. "I assume you've been enjoying yourself?"

She smiled, but I did not think it was sincere. "Yeah, I have! It's been really fun. Oh! I just remembered!" She looked at me again. "Éowyn's looking for you."

I nodded, but internally winced. I could not bring myself to tell her that another already had my love, and I had none to give to her. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her in any way. "...I'll find her later," I said. "The night is still young."

Kaia nodded. "Okay." She stood with Gandalf and I for a bit, the three of us casually talking and enjoying ourselves. For a short time, I was able to even forget about Arwen, Haldir, and all other stress that had been plaguing my mind for quite awhile. If there was ever one person that I could always count on to help me relax and have a good time, it was Kaia.

After about another hour or so, I finally exhaled and looked at both woman and wizard. "As much as I have enjoyed our time together, I'm afraid I must go. I still wish to see Éomer and a few others before this night is over."

"Fair enough," Kaia reasoned. "Just make sure you come back okay? Don't you dare think about ditching me."

I smiled at her. "Trust me, Kaia. I will not forget about you." I said goodbye to Gandalf also, then turned and walked off in another direction.

oOo

Legolas' POV

To put it simply, I was...confused.

When I had realized that Kaia had purposely set it up so that Erin and I would be the ones to kiss, I will admit, I was happy. Especially since she was the one to kiss me first. For a moment, I thought that she would finally understand how I felt about her. I was prepared to tell her that I loved her, right then and there...but then she left. I remember seeing the expression on her face when she pulled away. She had looked...frightened, possibly, or offended somehow. I desperately hoped it was not the latter. Though I was not sure what would have scared her in such a way, either. In any event, she ran off, and naturally I had gone off to find her.

I had spent almost an entire hour weaving in and out of the crowds inside, stopping various strangers and asking if they had seen her anywhere. Finally, one man told me that he had spotted her going outside awhile ago. That was certainly troubling. _What have I done to startle her like that? _I finally made my way out of The Golden Hall and stepped out onto the terrace, shivering slightly from suddenly stepping out into the cool night air. I walked further out onto the stone terrace, looking around for any sign of her, but saw none. I decided to at least look around outside a bit more before going back in to continue my search, and when I made it to the back side of the large building, I stopped. There she sat, on the edge of the smooth stone, looking lost in though. She was looking down, so I could not clearly see her face.

I quietly strode over to her and stopped once I was standing over top of her small form. "Erin?"

She jumped a bit, then turned around to look at me. I could have sworn I saw her eyes dim when she recognized me, but she simply turned away. "Hey, Legolas."

I frowned and moved over so that I was standing next to her. "What is wrong?" She did not answer immediately, and I looked down, slightly ashamed. "...If I have done something wrong, please at least tell me so that I can apologize. I did not mean to frighten you."

Erin sighed. "You...no, Legolas...it...it's fine." I carefully sat down next to her, daring to sit close enough that our shoulders just barely touched. She straightened up a bit and looked at me, and for a brief moment, she looked like she was worried about something. I was about to speak, but suddenly her gaze hardened, and she continued. "I don't want things to be awkward between us."

I was not entirely sure how to respond. "...Neither do I," I said.

"After all, it was only a dare. Just a stupid thing that Kaia made us do." She looked off into the distance just as I turned to look at her. _...What? _"There's no reason to feel awkward about...about a kiss that meant nothing." I could not bring myself to say anything. _She...she felt nothing? Nothing at all? But...I thought...she had felt the same as me. A spark... _Erin then snapped her head back to me, meeting my gaze, and I quickly tried to regain my composure. "I mean...you feel the same way, right? That the kiss meant nothing?"

_The exact opposite, actually. _But of course, if she truly did not feel what I thought we both had experienced, then it would be foolish to tell her the truth now. "Right," I said quickly, nodding. "I felt nothing. It was no more than a dare."

Erin's shoulders relaxed, and she turned away again. "Cool. I guess...we're done here, then."

"It would seem so." I quickly rose. "If we both truly agree that...it was just a dare, then..." I took a breath. "I shall see you tomorrow, Erin. Good night." She did not respond, so I turned and walked off, heading back the way I had come. I tried to remain calm, as always, but it proved to difficult for me now. "Right...just a dare."

oOo

Erin's POV

I waited until I was sure that Legolas had left before risking a glance over my shoulder. Seeing that I was alone again, I groaned in frustration and pulled my knees up to my best, resting my chin on them. Now I knew the truth. He hadn't felt a thing. I felt like an idiot for feeling how I did when we kissed. But why did it feel like I was trying to convince myself that it was nothing more than I was convincing him?

_I don't...I can't love him, _I thought. _There's no way. Legolas is my __friend__. Nothing more. Never has been, never will be. _So why couldn't I get those incredible three seconds out of my head? I couldn't love Legolas. Never. I didn't. And...even if I did love him, there just...We could never be together. As cheesy as it sounded, I knew it was true. His dad still absolutely hated me, for one thing. After all I'd done to him, Thranduil would never let me date his son, let alone marry him or anything like that. If I ever set foot in Mirkwood again, I'd be locked up in prison. He'd have to willingly give up his home, deny his father, _and _refuse the crown for us to be together.

Even then, it still wouldn't work. I was human, and he wan an elf...and we weren't as lucky as Aragorn and Arwen. I knew that the only ones who had the choice between immortality and mortality were the half-elven, of which Arwen was one. She had the option to give up her elven life. Legolas didn't. And besides that, Aragorn wasn't just a regular old human like me. He was one of the Dunadaín, blessed with long life. Heck, I already knew for a fact that he'd live to be hundreds of years old. Even if Arwen chose mortality, she'd still at least be able to live happily with him for centuries. I wouldn't even live to see Legolas' next birthday.

And on top of all that, there was this prophecy thing to think about. I could easily die in this war. I might never live to see the other end of it. What if we fell in love with each other, and then I died somehow? That would leave Legolas to spend the rest of his days wandering Middle-Earth alone, brokenhearted, and never able to love another. He would die of grief. No matter what his relationship was with me, I couldn't let that happen. Never. Not in a million years. I had to worry about keeping both myself and my two friends safe through the rest of this to prove Saruman wrong. I didn't need my emotions going all crazy right now, too.

_Well, lucky me, because they're not, _I reminded myself. _I don't love Legolas. He's my friend. I only like him as a friend. _I sighed again and twisted a lock of hair that had fallen out of its updo around my finger. _Maybe if I keep telling myself that, this awkward feeling will go away._

After several more minutes of sitting in silence and thinking, I decided to just turn in early. It was no use to go back to the party now...not with all this insanity going on. Honestly, Legolas was the last person I wanted to see right now. Kaia would still be there, too, and she certainly wouldn't just pretend like nothing happened. She'd be pestering me about it all. _I really don't need to deal with that right now. _I stood up and walked to Meduseld's back door, quietly slipping in and finding the room that Kaia, myself, and the rest of the original Fellowship shared. Within five minutes, I was changed out of my pretty dress, had my hair down, and was curled up on my mattress, pulling the light blankets up to my chin. I laid on my side, facing away from the door, and just stared at the wall for what seemed like ages, unable to fall asleep. _It's probably not even past midnight...but there's no way I'm going back out there._

Later on, the door suddenly swung open, and light from the outside hallway flooded into the room, casting shadows on the wall I was looking at. Voice from outside floated in, and I recognized the voices of pretty much everyone else that slept in this room.

"Oh God...that was fun," I heard Kaia say rather loudly. "Someone needs to throw another party again soon."

"I know!" Pippin agreed. A moment later, he bounded past me, and I quickly closed my eyes, slowing my breathing to make it look like I was asleep. Hopefully they'd buy it.

Apparently I was a pretty good actress, because a second later, I heard Aragorn scold him. "Pippin! Be quiet. Erin is sleeping."

"Oh!" came the hobbit's whispered reply. "Sorry!"

"Wait, she's asleep?" Kaia asked. "Seriously?" I heard footsteps coming over to where I was laying, but then they stopped abruptly, and I heard none other than Legolas speak up.

"Leave her to rest, Kaia," he said softly, but firmly. "She was exhausted when I talked to her earlier."

"Exhausted, my ass," Kaia shot back. "She wasn't even there for more than an hour!"

"Whatever you wanted to tell her can wait until morning." I cringed internally. _Why is he sticking up for me? That's so sweet...and friendly. FRIENDLY._

It was quiet for a bit, and I figured they were staring each other down or something. Finally, Kaia sighed. "Whatever. It's not like she's going anywhere anytime soon, anyway." I heard her walk across the room and into the bathroom to change. The other men quietly talked about random stuff that wasn't important to me for a bit, and I stopped listening until I heard Kaia flop down on the mattress next to me. I could tell that she was staring at me, trying to figure out if I was seriously sleeping or not, and I tried my hardest not to panic. _If she finds out I'm faking it, I'm screwed. _

Luckily, she didn't seem to notice anything, because after about five minutes, I opened my eyes a tiny bit to see that the room was dark again, with everyone sprawled across their own respective beds. Kaia's back was to me, so I shifted position slightly, turning onto my back and zoning out until I fell asleep completely.

oOo

Needless to say, it was incredibly awkward for the next day or two. I ended up waking up before Kaia both mornings, and each time I chickened out at waiting to face her. Basically, I managed to almost completely avoid both her and Legolas, choosing to spend most of my time hanging out by myself and running around town. Sometimes I would go out riding if I wanted to get away.

I thought I was in the clear for awhile longer the second day after the party, but unfortunately fate had other plans. I was looking down when I walked into the throne room, wearing a casual deep green dress with a low v neckline, short sleeves, and a white under layer. Because of this, I didn't see that Kaia was also in the throne room until I looked up. Too late.

"There you are!" I froze as she walked up to me, obviously pissed. "Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you at all since the night of the party!" I didn't answer. "What's going on, Erin? Why are you avoiding me?"

I glanced behind her, glad that the others weren't paying attention. Then I looked back to her and sighed. "Come on." I turned and started walking out of the room again, not wanting to have to answer her questions. _Guess I just gotta get it over with anyway. _Eventually, we were back in our bedroom, and I shut the door behind her, turning and leaning up against it as she stood in front of me, arms crossed. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmm, let me think. Everything!" she exclaimed. "My God, Erin! It's like I have the plague or something! Why haven't I seen you in the past two days?"

I bit my lip. "...Because I didn't want to have to explain stuff to you." All I could really do at this point was be honest. I owed her that much.

She scoffed. "Erin, we're best friends. You can tell me anything, you know that." Her tone and gaze both softened a bit then. "It's about the party, isn't it?" I nodded. "About the kiss?" I nodded again. She sighed. "I figured it was something like that. You haven't been talking to Legolas either, I've noticed. What's up?"

I let out a breath. _At least she doesn't seem that mad now. _"...Kaia, I can't do it. I can't be with him that way."

"Why not? You two are already super-close."

"I know, but..." I looked down at my feet. "You don't get it. His dad absolutely despises me. He wants me in jail...possibly even executed because of something that happened before I met you. Legolas is an elf, and I'm a human. We don't mix. I'd be gone before he knew it. And then there's this whole creepy thing that Saruman told us. I don't want to be the one to die and then leave Legolas behind, heartbroken. I made a promise to keep you and Kathryn safe, and I intend to stick to that." I paused after my explanation before quietly adding "...I just can't love him."

Kaia looked at me for awhile, thinking about all I'd said. "...Oh. I hadn't even thought about that." Silence. "Well...what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know. Our friendship is ruined now because of that kiss. We can't just go back and pretend it didn't happen."

"...Maybe you should still go after him, then," she said. "I know you're thinking about all this crap that would separate you two, but...I still think you should give him a chance."

I frowned at that. "There's no point. He doesn't want things to be that way, either."

At that comment, Kaia blinked. "What?"

"We talked for a minute or so the night of the party, and both of us agreed that it was just a dare, and nothing more. He thinks the kiss meant nothing...and so do I," I said, watching her.

Kaia closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation. She muttered something under her breath, but I didn't catch it. "Erin...I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should never have forced you to kiss him."

I smiled a bit. "No it's not," I said, stepping forward a bit and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't ask me for forgiveness, man. You don't need it. It was an honest mistake. You didn't mean for this to happen. I do have to ask, though...why the frick did you set us up in the first place?"

My friend thought for a minute before answering. "...I don't know. I thought you guys would be good for each other, I guess. I never even thought about the whole 'elves can't love humans' thing."

I just shook my head. "We are good for each other...as friends, anyway. You know that." She nodded. "That's all Legolas and I are destined to be. I'm comfortable with it, and so is he."

"I know. Again, I'm so sorry all this crap happened." She paused again, then said "Why don't I go talk to him and explain myself?"

"Kaia, you don't have to do that."

"Erin, please. It's obvious enough that there's awkward tension between you two, and the least I can do is explain myself to him. Maybe that'll help things go a little smoother."

I stared at her curiously for a second, then took my hand off of her shoulder and nodded. "Alright. Go for it. Just don't screw me over even more," I joked. She laughed and headed out of the room. I stayed behind for a moment. _And please don't tell him how unsettled I am about all of this._


	5. Promises Both Broken and Made

**A/N: Hello again! Today I actually wanted to tell you guys about what I'm planning on doing after this series is finished. After watching the third movie yesterday, I think I want to try my hand at a Pirates of the Caribbean fic. :) Currently it would be an OC insert, with two girls, one of them being in a Will/OC pairing, the other staying single. I'd absolutely love to give it a shot, but I'm wondering if anyone would read it or not. XD So...would you guys read it if I wrote it? Lol. I feel like there's hardly any Will/OC stories out there to begin with, and I don't like the Will/Elizabeth pairing. :P Heck, I don't like Elizabeth in general. But that's another rant for another time. XD let me know what you think, and enjoy this chapter!**

To Whatever End: Chapter Five

Erin's POV

The landscape around me was horrifying. It was nothing but masses of sleek black rock everywhere I turned, jutting up from the ground at weird angles and creating a really rough, jagged landscape. Nothing was growing here. Everything was blackened and dead, with nothing to be seen but the scraggly remains of a few trees and bushes that looked like they'd been burned in some terribly wildfire. The sky was a dark, depressing grey-blue, and red-hot lava trickled down through the slight hill that I was on, weaving around rocks and other debris like scalding little streams and waterfalls. A low-lying fog rolled and swam around on the ground at my feet, though I couldn't tell for the life of me where it was coming from.

I was picking my was across this terrain, which distinctly reminded me of Mordor. I knew that's not where I was, though, because Barad-Dûr, Mount Doom, and anything else particularly evil was nowhere in sight. I had no idea where the heck I could possibly be if not the land of shadow, though. It certainly didn't look familiar beyond that.

After a few minutes of aimless walking, I stopped in my tracks and blinked. In the middle of this destroyed and dying land, there was a single tree. But not just any tree. This was the White Tree of Gondor that I saw, growing proud and tall in the distance. Curious as to why and how it had gotten here, I started walking at a faster pace until I reached it. It looked exactly as I remembered seeing it in Minas Tirith during the movies, except for the fact that it seemed to glow a bit more than normal. It's white bark stuck out brightly against the otherwise black area around it, and it's roots somehow curled and clung onto a scrap of rock that was jutting out a few feet into the open air. I reached out to touch the smooth trunk.

The second my fingers brushed against it, my vision went dark, and was then quickly replaced with images. It was like a vision, almost. I saw the armies of Mordor advancing on Minas Tirith...then Faramir leading his men out on the suicide mission to reclaim Osgiliath...then the scene of the massive iron head of Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, shattering the wooden gate of Minas Tirith's first level...then the flaming rocks being hurled into the sides of the white city, causing entire walls and buildings to completely collapse...then Pippin swearing his oath of allegiance to Denethor.

I finally drew my hand away, allowing myself to see the hellish landscape around me again. I stared at the White Tree for a moment, confused. _What was that about? What did those visions mean? And why is this thing even here, anyway? _After simply standing there and thinking for a minute, I turned around and walked away, back into the never-ending span of blackness.

oOo

When I woke up the next day, I was kind of dazed. I spent the entire day analyzing the dream I'd had, and wondering what significance it held. Obviously a dream like that wouldn't just happen for no reason...at least, I was assuming that. Was it some kind of warning? Did it have anything to do with one of us Earth girls dying? Is that where it would happen? Why was Minas Tirith suddenly such a big deal that it was randomly appearing in my dreams now? Questions like that swam around in my mind all morning, afternoon, and night. It was crazy. I seriously couldn't figure out what it had meant.

Later that night, as I walked to bed, I realized that I actually wasn't tired at all, and didn't want to go to sleep just yet, so I opted to walk around to the back of Meduseld out on the terrace, where my favorite spot to just be alone and think was. I paused for a second when I saw the black silhouette of a cloaked person standing on the back edge, but then realized that it was Legolas. _Tonight's the night when Pippin looks into the palant__í__r. _I glanced nervously at the back door as I walked over to him. We weren't that far away from our group's room, but Kaia was asleep in there. _She'll be fine...as long as she doesn't do anything stupid, like touching it. _

I stepped up next to Legolas and turned to face the same direction as him. I knew that he was looking out towards Mordor, but again I found my own eyes wandering in the direction of Gondor. _Sweet mercy, what's wrong with me? _I shook my head a bit and broke the silence. "Lovely weather we're having, huh?"

He laughed for a second, but then turned serious again. We'd kind of just moved out of the awkward tension between us, as it was almost a week after the party had happened (It was July twelfth, to be exact). "...I do not like it."

"What, the weather? I think it's pretty nice."

"No...the atmosphere," he said. "It feels tense...and too quiet. Something is going to happen soon. I can feel it."

_Sooner than you think. _At that moment, Aragorn also appeared out of nowhere and joined us. We all stood in a line, side by side, staring out at the horizon in front of us. The night sky was dark and cloudy. _Legolas is right, _I thought. _There is an odd sense of foreboding in the air. _I bit my lip a bit.

"...The stars are veiled," Legolas said from my right. "Something stirs in the east. A sleepless malice..." He trailed off for a second, then spoke again. "The Eye of the Enemy is moving."

I glanced at the elf briefly. "He's almost ready. His armies will be fully prepared soon enough, and then he will show no mercy." _...On Minas Tirith. _If only I could say the last bit out loud.

"All we need to know is where he will strike next," Aragorn said. _STOP TEMPTING ME, DUDE. _"If only Saruman had given us that knowledge." _Mr. Ranger. Please stop talking. _

"He would not have told us anything," Legolas countered. "His anger overpowered all else within him. All we can do now is wait." At least he wasn't pressuring me to say anything. He learned his lesson with that already.

I sighed. "I wish we didn't have to. I don't like waiting for something to happen in times like this."

"I do not think anyone does," Aragorn replied, "but unfortunately it is the only choice we have."

"I know. It just...sucks."

oOo

Kaia's POV

_How long is it gonna take me to fall asleep? Seriously! _I must've been laying here on my little bed for at least an hour on my side, curled up in on myself, and trying to get some rest. I noticed that Erin, Legolas, and Aragorn still hadn't come back yet, but I wasn't worried too much. As long as they were all together, they'd be fine.

I'd been thinking about the stuff I saw in Galadriel's mirror awhile back again. I was getting kind of nervous at this point, because I knew some of the things I'd seen were gonna happen soon...which, in turn, would signal when my big task that I had to complete would start happening, too. It did kind of freak me out, because I always felt like I was waiting for something. I didn't like the feeling. And in this situation, knowing what I was waiting for didn't really comfort me all that much.

In the middle of my thinking, I heard someone else in the room twisting around in their blankets, and then the sound of bare feet crossing the floor. I instantly turned onto my back and pushed myself up, squinting at the little hobbit who was up. "What the hell are you doing, Pippin?"

When he heard my voice, he gasped rather loudly and spun around, flailing his arms a bit and looking at me wide-eyed, like he was panicked. "Oh...Kaia. It's just you."

"Who else would it be, an Orc?" I rolled my eyes. There was no one else in here besides the two of us, Gimli, and Gandalf, and both of the older men were pretty heavy sleepers, I knew. Pippin continued to walk backwards a bit, then turned towards Gandalf when he reached the wizard's bed. He then froze on the spot and gasped again. I sat up a bit more. "What is it? Pippin!"

He ignored me, then narrowed his eyes a bit in curiosity before reaching out and waving a hand in front of Gandalf's face. I saw him visibly relax, then look down at the round ball covered in a blue cloth that the old man was hugging to his chest in his sleep.

I realized what he was up to when he got a look on his face that told me he was thinking. "Pippin, don't you dare..."

Too late. He'd already picked a ceramic pitcher off of the ground and moved in to switch the two out, pausing and jerking back a bit when Gandalf mumbled something in his sleep. Once the hobbit had calmed down again, he carefully reached in and grabbed the palantír, stuck the pot into its place, and then hurried over to the foot of my bed.

I instinctively pulled my knees up to my chest, moving my feet away from the seeing stone. "Get that fucking thing away from me! Go put it back! You shouldn't even have it!"

"I just want to look at it," he whispered as he pulled the layers of cloth away. "Just one more time!"

"Put it back!" I hissed again, but Pip had already pulled out the demon marble and was staring at it intently, as though in a trance. I forced myself to close my eyes and think about something else. I didn't dare look at it, still vividly remembering what I'd seen last time I'd laid my hands on that thing.

When I did risk opening them again, I almost slapped the hobbit. He was fucking touching it, with both hands. "You idiot!" I smacked him in the shoulder, but it did nothing. "Don't fucking touch it! Do you hear me? Pippin!"

He was now staring at it with a look of slight fear, and I glanced down at the palantír, cringing a bit. Golden light was shining brightly from inside the ball, seeping through his fingers and lighting his face with a glow that normally would've seemed welcoming, had I not known what that thing was capable of. Suddenly, there was a muffled roar, and I jumped, moving back a few inches when the light took the form of a single fiery eye...the Eye of Sauron. _Dear God, no..._

Pippin looked angry, like he was determined to resist something. _Don't even tell me...Sauron's trying to get to him...Oh God, no! _I glanced back at the palantír again, but even that was enough to freak me out too much. I moved back to the pillow end of my bed, now several feet away from the evil ball. Then Pippin started gasping a bit, like he was choking on air. _No...no! Don't hurt him! _"Pippin!" I said, my voice a bit louder. _What's going on? _"Pippin!" The little ginger closed his eyes for a few moments, shaking, his face now looking pained...

oOo

Erin's POV

Out of nowhere, Legolas' hand shot out and gripped my arm so tightly, it actually hurt a bit. "He is here!"

My eyes widened. "The palantír..." I breathed. "No!" I bolted for the door, elf and man right on my heels.

oOo

Kaia's POV

In a split second, Pippin was on his feet, except now he was gripping the palantír tightly, as if unable to let go of it. He was jerking and thrashing about uncontrollably, and the seeing stone literally looked like it was on fire in his bare hands. "PIPPIN!" I screamed. "GANDALF, HELP!" I quickly tried to untangle myself from my sheets, my eyes never leaving Pippin's face. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his mouth was open in a silent scream of pain. I finally got to my feet right as the door burst open, and as Pippin fell to the ground, still convulsing on his back. Without thinking, I shot towards him, hands outstretched to try and rip it from his hands. Just as I reached him, I heard someone shout, and my fingertips were only an inch away from brushing the flaming glass when something slammed into my with full force, knocking me to the side and pinning me on the ground.

I tried desperately to get out, but stopped when I saw that it was Erin who had slammed into me and was now rolling off of me. "Kaia, no!" she said as we stood, grabbing my arm and holding me back firmly. "You can't touch that thing!"

Right as she said that, I realized what I'd almost done. I'd almost touched the palantír again. My initial desire to save Pippin was momentarily extinguished by fear as I remembered my first experience with it, and relaxed. But a split second later, I tensed and started trying to wrench myself out of her grasp when I saw Aragorn, of all people, lunge forward and rip the thing away from Pippin. My heart almost stopped as I saw the future king instantly go weak and fall to his knees. He would've completely fallen on his face, had Legolas not caught him by the shoulders. "No! Aragorn, let go!" I shouted. I finally escaped Erin's clutches just as my best friend dropped the damned thing, letting it roll across the floor of the room. I ran right to him, dropping beside him immediately as he shook his head to clear it, getting back up. "You okay?" He nodded, and I relaxed again. _Thank the Lord._

oOo

Erin's POV

"Fool of a Took!"

We all stopped and turned our attention to a furious looking Gandalf as he shot daggers in the direction of Pippin. However, this anger was instantly replaced by worry and fear of the hobbit's life when the white wizard saw him lying on his back, completely still, and staring blankly up at nothing. He muttered something under his breath and then ran up to Pippin, getting on his knees as the rest of us slowly stood up and gathered around him. I crossed one arm over my chest and put a hand to my mouth as I chewed on my lower lip again nervously. Gandalf picked up Pippin's hand and took it in his own, rubbing it for a moment before placing a hand on the young hobbit's forehead and quietly mumbling some sort of spell.

When he moved his hand away, Pip instantly came to, his breath coming in short gasps. He was panicking. "Look at me," Gandalf said calmly.

Pippin tried to obey, but couldn't meet the wizard's gaze for long. "Gandalf..." he whispered. I felt so bad for him. He sounded so afraid. "...Look at me..."

"Look at me," the Istari said again, a bit more firmly. "What did you see?"

It took him a moment to answer. "A...A...A tree." Pause. "There was a white tree...in a courtyard of stone...It was dead." For whatever reason, my dream from the previous night popped into my head again, and I frowned. _Why now? Just because Pippin saw the tree too doesn't mean that- _"The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith?" Gandalf asked. "Is that what you saw?"

And then it hit me like a train. My eyes widened as I realized the meaning of my dream, and I inhaled sharply. Legolas heard it, and looked over at me curiously. "Nothing important," I whispered to him quickly. "I just realized something."

We both turned our attention back to Pippin, though he was probably more focused than I was. "I saw..." His eyes became fearful again, and his breathing got faster. He could barely spit the words out. "...I saw him!" Now everyone shared the same 'OMG' looks. "I could hear his voice in my head!"

"What did you tell him?" Gandalf asked urgently. "Speak!"

Pippin cringed, then went on. "He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me!"

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

Again, the hobbit didn't answer right away, which freaked us all out even more. "I t-told him nothing! I swear!" Then, in a much more fearful and guilty whisper, he added "...Gandalf...forgive me..."

Everyone either relaxed their tense muscles, or let out a breath on relief when Pippin was finished. Gandalf finally stood, also sighing. "You are forgiven, Peregrin Took. Let that be a lesson to you." He then turned and glanced at the rest of us. "To _all _of you. The palantír is a very dangerous tool. I did not take it to use it; only to keep it out of the hands of our enemies. But this time...we have been very, very lucky." He spaced out for a moment, thinking, and then spoke again. "I suggest you all get some rest, if you can. Tomorrow will most certainly be a busy day for some."

With that, everyone split up and headed to their respective beds...everyone except me. I walked right over to Gandalf and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Gandalf," I whispered, "I've gotta talk to you about something. Right now." The wizard caught the urgency in my tone and nodded once before leading me out into the hallway, where we could speak in private.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I was deliberately clearing the breakfast dishes off of the tables in the main hall slowly so that I could catch all of what was being discussed. Kaia and Erin had both come running into my room that morning, telling me about some crazy thing that had happened with Pippin and the palantír in the middle of the night. I remembered that whole scene from the movie, and I also remembered that Pippin and Gandalf would soon be leaving for Minas Tirith. Probably before lunch, actually. But in any event, I didn't want to miss out on this part of the action. I'd already missed enough in the night, apparently.

So there I was, eavesdropping as Gandalf spoke to the rest of the Fellowship members and King Théoden. "There was no lie in Pippin's eye. A fool...but an honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring." I glanced at Pippin, who sat on a stool with Kaia standing by his side. "We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the palantír a glimpse of the Enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith." I frowned a bit, Faramir popping into my mind again. Even if he didn't like me back, I still cared for him as a friend. I worried about him, just sitting there in his big old white city, unaware of Sauron's plans to destroy him.

Gandalf went on. "His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the heir of Elendil has come forth," he said with a nod in Aragorn's direction. "Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still. Strength, enough perhaps to challenge him! Sauron fears this." I smirked at the thought of the big bad Eye of Sauron being afraid. "He will not risk the peoples of Middle-Earth uniting under one banner. He will raise Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a king return to the throne of Men." He then turned to the king. "If the beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."

But King Théoden just stared right back, a bitter look in his eyes. "Tell me...why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours?" There was a short silence as all eyes turned to him. "What do we owe Gondor?"

It didn't surprise me when Kaia spoke up. "Now isn't the time to hold a grudge," she said with a glare. "If you don't help Gondor, they'll be completely overrun, and then Sauron will come for you next."

"And this time you won't be so lucky," I heard Erin mutter under her breath from where I was cleaning nearby.

Suddenly, Aragorn broke into the conversation from where he stood with Erin, Legolas, and Gimli. "I will go."

"No," Gandalf replied instantly.

"They must be warned!" the soon-to-be-king argued.

"They will be." Gandalf then walked up to him and whispered something private into his ear, to which Aragorn gave no response. Then the white wizard turned and walked back to the center of the group. "Understand this. Things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith." He then looked over in Pippin and Kaia's direction. "And I won't be going alone." Again, the room fell silent as everyone realized that Pippin would be leaving. A couple seconds later, though, Gandalf turned back to the elf, man, woman, and dwarf. He had a serious look on his face. "Are you prepared to leave, Erin?"

The plate I had just picked up slipped from my fingers and landed on the table with a loud clatter. "WHAT?!" I shrieked, spinning around.

"The hell?!" Kaia echoed just after me. I walked up and stopped beside Gimli.

Erin closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled, looking up at everyone nervously as she stepped forward (specifically Kaia and I). "...Yes, Gandalf. I'm ready."

She was almost immediately stopped by Legolas' hand on her shoulder. "You cannot go!"

"I have to," she said, turning back around to face him. She gave him quite an intimidating look, which he matched, and the two of them stared each other down for a couple seconds before she finally looked away. My best friend turned around again as I stared at her disbelievingly. "How long until we take off?"

"About ten minutes," Gandalf quickly answered. Seeing her saddened expression, he gave her a sympathetic look. "My apologies, Erin." He then turned and walked briskly out of the hallway, leaving the rest of us all standing there, completely shocked.

As soon as she turned to face me, I ran over and hugged her hard, trying not to cry. It failed. I got all choked up anyway. "Erin...why are you doing this? You...you promised we'd stick together!"

"I know," she said quietly, returning the hug. "I'm so sorry, Kathryn. I didn't think I'd have to leave you guys behind, but I do."

"But...why?"

"...I don't know yet," she said.

We were both quiet for another minute, until I finally let her go and wiped my eyes. "You suck, you know that? You get to go see Faramir now."

She managed to smile a bit at that. "I'll tell him you said hi."

"Be careful."

"Same to you. Especially you." We looked at each other for a moment longer before she finally offered me a weak smile again. "I'll see you sometime soon, Twilight."

I returned the sad smile. "Good luck, Dash." Without saying anything else, I turned and quickly went to finish cleaning off the tables, trying not to cry too much.

oOo

Erin's POV

As Kathryn walked away, I took a deep breath and then looked at Aragorn. "I guess you'll have to live without me for awhile, old man."

He laughed a bit at my teasing. "Hopefully I will survive." He didn't hug me, but it wasn't needed. "Goodbye, Erin."

I nodded to him, and then looked down at Gimli. "And you..." I winked at him. "Good luck in the rest of the challenge. I'll be rooting for you."

His eyes crinkled as he smiled from underneath his bushy red beard. "We'll all miss ya, lass. Be careful, and don't do anything to reckless again." I crouched down so we could clasp each other'sshoulders.

"Like falling off a cliff, right?" I joked.

"Right," he said, smiling sadly. "No more of that."

I stood up to my full height again, then turned to talk to Legolas, but was interrupted when I was tackled by Kaia. "I think I've waited long enough," she said as we hugged.

I smiled a bit. "I'm sorry, man. I really wish I didn't have to go, but I do."

"Hey, don't worry about it," she said, letting me go. She looked really upset, but she wasn't crying. "But I'd better see you alive and well again before this is all over," she warned.

"Same to you," I said seriously. "Stay safe. Stay protected. Don't get yourself killed."

She nodded. "I'll do my best." We also stood there quietly for a minute before she spoke again. "...I'll miss you."

I pulled her into one last tight hug, now finally feeling a lump in my throat. "I'll miss you, too," I said, voice wavering a bit. "I'll be thinking of you guys every day while I'm gone."

"I know," she whispered. "So will I. Keep Pippin and Gandalf safe." She finally released me again, and I nodded.

Finally, she stepped away, and I turned to the last person I had yet to say goodbye to. I opened my mouth to start talking to Legolas, but suddenly I heard Pippin shout my name from the main double doors. "Erin!" We both looked over at him. "Gandalf says we have to go now! Come on!"

"Okay!" He scurried off, and I looked back at the elf. "Walk with me," I said, starting for the door. Once I reached it, I glanced over my shoulder, and sure enough he was following behind me, matching my pace as we wove through all kinds of other people and down to the royal stables.

I hadn't even reached the bottom of the stairs when he started on me, though. Before I knew it, he'd clamped a hand on my shoulder. "'Nothing important?'" I was forced to stop walking and turn to look at him, and internally winced when I saw his face. He looked hurt, sad, and confused all at the same time...but mostly hurt more than anything else. Legolas looked me right in the eyes. "...Why did you not tell me?"

"...I'm sorry, Legolas," I said sadly. "I didn't tell anyone. I couldn't bring myself to." He looked down at his feet, and I gently grabbed his upper arm to make him look at me again. In the back of my mind, a small voice teased me about how my hand tingled where I was touching him. I hesitated for a moment before speaking. "...You'd better not die before I see you again."

Now he just looked crushed that I was leaving. "And you can promise me that we will?"

I wanted to say yes so badly, but...honestly, I didn't know for sure. Not with the possibility of me dying in the near future. "...No." I couldn't think of saying anything else, so I let go of his arm and started walking towards the stables again.

I got about ten steps forward when I heard him yell my name again. I stopped and turned around just as he ran up to me, pulling me into a goodbye hug in the middle of the dirt road. It lasted for several seconds, and his voice vibrated through my chest when he spoke. "Erin, I..." He trailed off, and then finally pushed us apart. I instantly missed his hug. Legolas' hugs were awesome. I pulled him off to the side of the dirt road so that we wouldn't get run over by a cart or anything, then stopped and pressed him back against the outside wall of the stables.

"Legolas...I want you to promise me something." I began.

The blonde prince looked back at me. "Anything for you."

"I want you to promise me that you'll keep Kathryn and Kaia safe. Don't let either one of them get hurt. And certainly don't let them get themselves killed." I suddenly realized how lonely I would be without any of my close friends around.

Legolas nodded sincerely. "I swear on the stars themselves that they shall not be harmed."

"Thank you." The two of us stayed like that, standing there just outside of the barn door for a few more quiet seconds.

Then he started to talk again. "Erin...good luck. Be safe, and...I l-"

"Erin!" He was cut off again by Gandalf this time, who stuck his head out the door. When he noticed us standing there, he nodded. "Ah, there you are. Come quickly, dear. Your horse is ready."

I glanced at Legolas again, shooting him an apologetic look before slipping inside the stables and quickly making my way to Frania. When I successfully mounted my horse and trotted up beside Shadowfax, Legolas was still standing there with us.

"How far is Minas Tirith?" Pippin asked as he was lifted onto Shadowfax in front of Gandalf.

"Three days' ride, as the Nazgûl flies," Gandalf said, "and you'd better hope we don't have one of those on our tail."

I looked back at Legolas. "Don't you dare get yourself killed, Greenleaf." He nodded, but said nothing else, still looking incredibly upset. I turned away and exhaled, rubbing Frania's neck. "You ready to ride, girl?" She whinnied in response.

"Ride fast," Legolas said quietly. I nodded and then looked to Gandalf, who finally gave the command to leave.

"Run, Shadowfax. Show us the meaning of haste." With a loud neigh, the proud horse sprung forward into a full gallop, and I reluctantly kicked Frania into action, following closely behind him. I kept my eyes trained on the back of Gandalf's head as we tore through Edoras and blew straight through the main gate. Only when we'd left the town completely did I dare look back, and I easily spotted Kaia, Kathryn, and Aragorn standing together at the top of the guard's tower, all of them looking down at us. I gave them one last wave before facing forward in my saddle and started focusing on getting to Minas Tirith in one piece.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

The three of us watched as both a white and silver-grey horse sped across the plains of Rohan, sloshing through a small river as they went. I smiled a tiny bit when I saw Erin turn around and wave to us, and I waved back as she got smaller and smaller over time.

"It feels like the three of us were just reunited yesterday..." Kaia said quietly. "...and now she's gone."

I sighed. "So much for sticking together as a trio."

"She never intended to break her promise," Aragorn said. "Sometimes fate just has other plans that what one would expect."

"Well, until I see her again, I'm not gonna be very happy with fate," I mumbled. Although I'd never admit it to anyone, I also felt the tiniest pang of jealousy that she got to go to Minas Tirith and see Faramir instead of me.

Kaia looked over at me. "Fate screws us all over sometimes. We just gotta deal with it." All three of us then continued to stare back out at the two small blurs of color in the distance. "For now, all we can do is just hope that fate plans to bring us together again before it's too late."

**A/N: Wow, that ended up being a lot longer than I expected. XD**


	6. The City of Idiotic Stewards

To Whatever End: Chapter Six

Kaia's POV

After Gandalf, Erin, and Pippin left Edoras, things were a lot quieter. I guess that was to be expected, since two of the craziest members of our Fellowship were gone, but...it was still weird to think about. Of course Kathryn and I still hung out with each other and did stupid stuff, but it felt so different without the third member of our little trio around.

I also noticed that Legolas seemed...different. Not enough that it was incredibly noticeable, though. If there was one thing that elf was good at, it was hiding his feelings. Dear God, I don't think I've ever met someone who can pull off the calm, serious 'nothing's wrong at all' face better than him. That being said, I could still tell that he wasn't quite himself. I could already guess what the reason behind it was, but I still decided to talk to him anyway.

The morning after they all left for Minas Tirith, I pulled Legolas aside after breakfast, away from the others for some privacy. "You alright?"

He laughed a bit. "Why would I not be?"

I deadpanned. "I know you're upset about her leaving, dude. You don't have to hide that from Kathryn and I, at least."

When I brought it up, the happiness in his eyes faded a little. _I knew it. _"Well...yes, it does bother me that she left," he said. But right after that, his eyes fell to the ground, and I looked at him oddly.

"But that's not all that's bothering you," I said, catching on.

He exhaled. "No."

My gaze softened. "What happened? Did she hurt you?"

"No," he said again, shaking his head. "I just...I worry that I might not ever see her again. All three of them are going almost as close to Mordor as possible, and I fear that the Enemy would reach them before we ever could." He paused, then spoke again. "And she still doesn't know."

At his last remark, I frowned at him. "Really? You still didn't tell her? Legolas, you can't keep doing this to yourself," I scolded. "If you keep putting it off, then you probably will lose her before you get the chance to tell her how you feel." The elven prince looked up, obviously not enjoying getting yelled at by me. "What if we go to Minas Tirith and find her dead there?" It was a little harsh, to think of it that way, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else to say. "You know you're gonna regret it then."

Legolas nodded, now looking sad. "I would never forgive myself."

"I know," I said. I stopped ranting for a minute.

"...But it is too late now," he said, looking out the window behind us. "She is already too far gone to turn back. I can do nothing."

I gave him a knowing look. "Then the next time you see her, the first three words out of your mouth had better be 'I love you.' Don't you dare chicken out again, you hear me?" I shot him an intimidating glare.

He smiled a bit at my attempt to frighten him. "I will not. I swear."

I kept staring at him for a few seconds to make sure he was being serious. He was. "Good. And if you break your promise, you'll have to answer to me."

His smile became a small smirk. "Oh, that would be absolutely terrible," he said sarcastically.

"You're damn right it would be," I shot back, but I was also grinning. "Don't you underestimate me!" We both laughed a bit and then went our own separate ways.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in the middle of a large garden, absolutely gushing with brightly colored flowers, healthy green bushes and trees, and soft grass beneath my feet. The sun was shining high above my head from up in a cloudless blue sky, and I heard birds chirping softly from their hiding places in the greenery around me. It was beautiful here, and so relaxing.

I stood completely still in the middle of the garden for a minute, smiling to myself as I relished the peaceful silence of the garden. I was startled from my reverie when I heard someone shout my name. "Kathryn!"

I spun around, and my smile increased tenfold when I recognized the person standing behind me, in the middle of a stone pathway bordered by trees on either side. "Faramir! Oh my God!" I ran over and hugged him immediately. "I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?"

"I am well, dearest Kathryn," he said, and even from where my face was buried in his shoulder, I could tell he was smiling. I was enjoying the hug, and it caught me completely off-guard when he pulled out of the hug sooner than I wanted.

I looked up into his blue eyes, just barely tinted with green. "Faramir? What-" My eyes widened in surprise as he cut me off with a kiss. I tensed, then just went with it, realizing that I was dreaming. _This is a __really__ good dream. _When we finally released each other, he gently took my hand and guided me to sit with him on a white stone bench that was surrounded by bushes and plants. We sat there together, not saying anything, just enjoying each other's company.

But it didn't last long enough. It seemed like we'd only been sitting there for only a few seconds before loud snarls could be heard coming from somewhere off in the garden. Both of our heads snapped up at the noises, which sounded like they were headed straight for us. The warm sunlight suddenly disappeared, and I looked up in horror to see black clouds rolling across the sky and covering the bright blue that had been there moments before.

When I looked forward again, some of the nastiest Orcs I'd ever seen had rounded a bend in the stone path and were charging straight towards us. Faramir was on his feet instantly, even though he wasn't wearing armor and had no weapons. I froze in fear, willing my body to get up and run away, but I couldn't. I stayed right where I was on the bench, and watched in horror as two Orcs drew back bows fitted with dirty black arrows, steadying their aim. I screamed and closed my eyes as they let go, expecting to feel pain.

I felt nothing.

I opened my eyes again, gasping as I watched Faramir fall forwards onto the ground, and then screamed again. The Orcs just started laughing cruelly as I finally got up and then got down next to the young captain of Gondor, turning him over. I was hoping and praying that maybe he was still alive, so that I could at least take the arrows out and heal him. _Please don't let him be dead, please don't let him be dead! _

It wasn't enough. Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks as I took in his already pale white face and lifeless eyes. The two arrows stuck out at odd angles from the front of his gray shirt, small trails of crimson seeping out and staining the fabric. I sobbed as I stared at him, a pained expression on his face. The Orcs then clamped their filthy, stubby hands around my arms and yanked me away. I kicked and screamed, trying to break away, but I couldn't. I could only watch Faramir's body stare blankly back at me as I was dragged out of the gardens by those who had murdered him.

oOo

My eyes shot open, and I looked around wildly in the darkness of my room as I woke up from the fairytale dream gone wrong. "Faramir!" I called out, sitting upright, muscles tense. "Fara...Faramir..." I finally sighed and relaxed, my shoulders slumping. _What in the world was that about? Is it some kind of sign? _I nervously glanced at my window, which conveniently faced in the direction of Gondor. _Should I be there instead of Erin?_

I frowned a bit when I realized that they'd already been gone for about a week. Why_ did she even go, anyway? Could I have gone in her place? _I laid back down in my bed and tried to get a bit more comfortable. _I really hope that doesn't mean he's supposed to die anytime soon. _Now I was trying to remember stuff from the movie to figure out if I'd be going there anytime soon or not. _There's a really big battle at Minas Tirith...I remember that...Doesn't Rohan show up and help them? Yeah...yeah, they do! Because that's when __the one bad guy is all like "Come at me, bro," and Éowyn goes "I am no bro!" and then she stabs his face. That was always Erin's favorite scene. So...how soon is that gonna happen? God...of course, that's the one part I __don't__ remember. _I groaned in frustration and tried to go back to sleep. _Well, I hope that I get to go see Faramir soon...and I hope he's not dead by the time I get to him._

oOo

Erin's POV

I was surprised that Frania was able to keep up with Shadowfax because of how fast he was going. Either Gandalf was going slower on purpose, or my horse was just doing a frikin' awesomesauce job of being my transportation. Either way, we were going really fast. Rest stops were few and far between, and we didn't really talk all that much on the journey there. Gandalf was just super-focused on getting to the white city in time, and I was focused on keeping up with him more than anything else. Or...that's what I'd been _trying _to focus on, anyway. As much as I hated to admit it, my thoughts kept going back to Rohan. Specifically Edoras. Specifically a particular elf that I'd left behind in Edoras.

I missed him. I couldn't deny that. I just...didn't know why. I guess it was just because I'd grown so used to having him around to talk to or something. _It's definitely not because I love him. Nope. Can't happen. He's just a friend. _I distinctly remembered the last hug he gave me, though. I missed that, too.

Of course, that wasn't the only person I missed. Kathryn and Kaia were also at the top of my list for people I wanted to see. Seriously, we'd only been together as a group for...what, a month? Not even that! A couple weeks, at the most. That wasn't long enough. No way. I needed to see them again soon. I didn't doubt that they'd be at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, but...gosh, that just seemed so far away. That was like...halfway through the movie! _I guess I'll just have to suck it up, forget about it, and be alone until then. Forever alone...Kathryn would laugh at that._

_ ...I need help._

The next morning our two horses sloshed through a shallow, clean river that was cutting through a grassy plain, and despite how much I missed my friends, I couldn't help but smile as Gandalf shouted to Pippin and I over the loud hoof beats as we galloped along. "We just passed into the realm of Gondor!"

"How long until we reach Minas Tirith?" Pippin shouted back.

"About an hour!"

That hour couldn't have gone fast enough. Don't get me wrong, I was still homesick (Edorassick?) and all, but...I'd been looking forward to finally seeing Minas Tirith up close. To actually be able to go inside and look at the city carved entirely out of white stone, right out of the mountainside. It was easily my second favorite place in Middle-Earth, right after Lórien. If I was somehow not allowed to live with the elves, I'd come here next. It just looked so cool on screen...My smile grew a bit as I imagined how much cooler it would be in real life.

Sure enough, we stopped at the top of a large hill some time later, and I almost started bouncing around in my saddle from the excitement as we came to a brief halt. "Minas Tirith..." Gandalf announced, and I finished with him. "...The City of Kings."

Pippin looked over at me, probably thinking I was crazy from the look on my face. "How long has it been since you've been back home, Erin?" he asked.

I didn't even look at him, I was too entranced by what was in front of me. "Almost two years."

"Really? I thought you'd been in Rivendell for a shorter time than that."

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. _Oh, frick! That's right! I've been telling everybody that I'm from Minas Tirith all this time! _Thanking God in my head that I hadn't made that big of a mistake, I looked at Pippin. "Well, I was traveling on my own for awhile before I came to Rivendell. That's why I'm so familiar with Lothlórien. I stayed there for a long time."

"Oh."

_Now I gotta act like I've been here before, _I reminded myself. _Don't act like a total noob. _Gandalf kicked Shadowfax into a run again, and I followed closely behind on Frania. When I was behind them and out of their sight, I let the stupid smile return to my face and just stared. The closer we got, the more in awe I was. It was _massive. _You'd never even be able to understand just how huge everything is unless you go and see it yourself. We rode right up to the big wooden gates, which were beautifully engraved with depictions of old kings and rulers of the kingdom of Gondor from long ago. Just those alone were impressive.

I really wished we hadn't been flying through the streets at like, sixty-seven-thousand miles per hour, because then I would've been able to see more of the details instead of just the big things as we passed by. Every time we went up a level, things seemed to get more and more incredible. The first level was filled with common people just milling about, and was crammed with shops of all sorts. I noticed a bunch of Gondorian soldiers also patrolling the streets in their shining steel armor.

Second level. The streets were considerably smaller here, as the first level was by far the biggest and most populated one. But still...everything was such a pristine white that legitimately glowed in the light of the sun. The buildings were so expertly carved in the way that they were essentially all built right on top of each other. It looked really crammed and small from a distance, but once you got into the city, you could see that there were actually all kinds of back roads and hidden streets in between them that were just begging me to go and explore them.

Third level. Pippin looked just as awed as I probably did as we continued making our way up. He was probably just a little more shocked than I was, as he'd never even seen it on TV before, but still. I was absolutely giddy. I was actually in Minas Tirith. In real life. _Man, the things I'd do if I had a camera here. _Gandalf kept shouting for people to move aside and get out of the way as we breezed past them, and I looked down at the civilians as we passed by.

Fourth level. Now I was paying attention to the stuff that was inside the mountain...stuff that Peter Jackson hadn't been able to capture on camera. It looked just like the outside area of the White City, it just wasn't as lit up because it was literally inside of the mountain. But it was still beyond cool. _I'm gonna have so much fun running around this city when I have free time, _I thought to myself.

Fifth level. Almost to the top. "Make way!" Gandalf shouted again, causing people to scurry left and right in an attempt to not get run over by our horses. It was obvious that the richer you were, the higher up on the seven levels you lived. The people in these upper levels wore clothes that were much finer than what I'd seen so far, but almost everyone was still dressed in the standard shades of black, grey, white, brown, and dark blues. Not that I really minded. I could easily get used to that if it meant I got to live here.

Sixth level. We passed underneath a long white banner with the White Tree of Gondor embroidered in gold onto it, along with a twisted line design at the triangular tip of it. I glanced up as it fluttered in the breeze. We then passed under another archway, and more of them started appearing. _This is so cool. I can't even...oh man, this is awesome. _I also eyed the wooden catapults as we rode by those, too. _They'll certainly be useful in a bit. _It was a shame that a city this beautiful was destined to be utterly torn apart in battle soon. I just felt lucky that I was able to see it before the war officially started.

And then we finally rode up the last set of stairs, emerging onto a completely flat area that was thousands of feet up in the air. I hummed the fanfare that played in the movie during this moment and beamed as I looked around, admiring the open area around me. We dismounted our faithful horses (who were absolutely exhausted at this point), and started heading straight for the citadel. A perfect circle of bright green grass was in the middle of this flat area, and as we moved past it, both Pippin and I glanced up at what sat in the middle of it, leaning over a small pool of water with a fountain in the middle. The hobbit beside me was the one to speak up, though. "It's the tree...Gandalf! Gandalf!"

"Yes, the White Tree of Gondor. The Tree of the King. Lord Denethor, however, is not a king. He is a steward only; a caretaker to the throne." I looked back at it over my shoulder. It still looked cool, but not as healthy as it probably should've looked.

We stopped suddenly at the base of the steps, and Gandalf turned to look at us. "Erin, you already know this, but I feel it is best to reiterate for Pippin here. Listen carefully. Lord Denethor is Boromir's father." My gaze hardened a bit as I realized that I'd have to put up with that idiot in a few seconds. Pippin looked slightly shocked at this news. "To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise." The wizard turned to move on, then stopped and looked at us both again. "And do not speak of Frodo, or the Ring." Pause. "...And say nothing of Aragorn, either." Pause. "...In fact, it's best if you two don't speak at all."

"Fine by me," I said lowly. "I don't want to waste my breath on him anyway." Pippin looked curious as to why I spoke of Denethor the way I did, but said nothing. He'd find out soon enough.

With that, Gandalf finally walked up the steps, and the doors were opened for us by two guards standing on the inside. Pippin followed right behind him on his right, and I on the left as we moved through the incredibly spacious hall inside. It was decorated nicely, with sleek black pillars positioned everywhere, and marble statues of the kings from the past placed evenly in between. I looked up towards the ceiling and saw a balcony going completely around the top of the room, with other doors and hallways branching off of it. Windows were placed in the walls on either side of us, allowing for broad daylight to light up the area inside, though there were lamps hanging from the ceiling and torches on the walls, too. At the very end of this huge room was a set of black and white stairs carved with intricate designs that led up to a shining white throne that shimmered as if it was brand new. But the man we were here to see was seated in a much smaller, less fancy black throne at the foot of those stairs and off to the right. I tried not to visibly scowl at the man who sat on it when we stopped several feet away from him.

Gandalf started to speak, his voice loud and echoing off of the walls slightly. "Hail Denethor, son of Ecthelion; Lord and Steward of Gondor." He bowed a bit, as did Pippin, and I begrudgingly followed suit. When the old man gave no response, the wizard spoke again. "I come with tidings in this dark hour, and with counsel."

"Perhaps you've come to explain this," came a quiet whisper. I glanced down at the horn that was in his lap. _Boromir's horn. _The steward raised it slowly and pulled it apart, showing how it had been completely cut in half, right down the middle. "Perhaps you've come to tell me why my son is dead." I remembered seeing Boromir get shot with two arrows right in front of me, and for a small fraction of a second, I felt bad for the old man.

It was dead silent for a moment as he stared at us, waiting for an answer. Pippin then spoke up, right on cue. "Boromir died to save us...my friends and I." He stepped forward from his position beside Gandalf and got down on one knee at Denethor's feet. "He failed defending us from many foes!"

"Pippin!" Gandalf hissed, but the hobbit ignored him.

The curly-haired little guy took a deep breath before going on. "...I offer you my service in payment of this death..." I glanced at Gandalf and almost laughed at his 'mother of God' expression.

The Istari then proceeded to lean over and smack Pip on the side with his staff. "Get up," he ordered." Pippin flinched and returned to his place. "My lord, there will be a time to grieve for Boromir. But it is not now. War is coming. The Enemy is on your doorstep! As steward, you are charged with the defense of this city! Where are Gondor's armies?" His tone changed to a more comforting one. "You still have friends." I mentally scoffed. "You are not alone in this fight. Send word to Théoden of Rohan. Light the beacons."

The next words out of Denethor's mouth made me hate him all over again. "You think you are wise, _Mithrandir_," he sneered, "yet for all your subtleties you have not wisdom." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gandalf's lips twitch in a scowl. "Do you think the eyes of the White Tower are blind?" _Well, if they made you their leader, then... _"I have seen more than you know. With your left hand, you would use it as a shield against Mordor, and with your right you would seek to supplant me!" He got a smug look on his face. I wanted to smack it off. "I know who rides with Théoden of Rohan...oh yes...Word has reached my ears of this 'Aragorn, son of Arathorn,' and I tell you now, I will not bow ti this ranger from the north, the last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship," he growled. I clenched my fists at my side in anger, and it took all I had not to start going at him.

Gandalf took care of that. "Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the king, _steward!_" he spat.

Denethor tensed at his tone and quickly stood up. "The realm of Gondor is MINE! And no other's!" he bellowed. He was trying to be intimidating, but when I looked at him, he seriously just looked like a weak old man as he stood there, slightly bent over. He looked crippled, almost.

There was a tense moment of silence as we all glowered at him. Finally, Gandalf turned on his heel. "Come," he said, briskly walking out. Pippin and I didn't hesitate to follow, though I shot a menacing glare over my shoulder at the pathetic excuse for a ruler before we left.

Gandalf was still seething. "All has turned to vain ambition! He would even use his grief as a cloak!" We finally stepped back outside, though the view wasn't as nice from this angle, as we were looking out on the horizon to see the black clouds looming ominously over Mordor, with flashes of flame red from Mount Doom flickering every now and again. I cringed a bit as I remembered how close we were to it here.

"A thousand years, this city has stood...and now at the whim of a madman it will fall!" I couldn't agree with the wizard more.

"He's an idiot," I said out loud, not caring that we were still within hearing range of some very loyal guards. "He knows that this city is doomed, but he doesn't do a thing about it! Who the heck elected him ruler, anyway?" I knew that is had only been passed down to him from his father, but I didn't care.

Gandalf nodded, then looked up at the tree wistfully as we started towards it. "And the White Tree, the Tree of the King, will never bloom again."

"Why are they still guarding it?" Pippin asked.

"They guard it because they still have hope," he replied, "faith and fading hope that one day it will flower. That the king will come, and this city will be as it once was."

"And believe me, it used to be a lot better than this," I added as we passed the tree completely.

"The old wisdom born out of the west was forsaken," Gandalf explained. "The kings made tombs more splendid then the houses of the living, and counted the names of their descents dearer than the names of their own sons. Childless lords sat in our halls, using our heraldry-" I glanced up at him when I noticed he used the word 'our.' "-all in high towers asking questions of the stars." We finally made our way to the very end of the flat area, right to the tip of it. I shuddered when I thought that this was the very same path a burning Denethor would run right off of in the near future. "And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin. The line of kings failed...The White Tree withered...The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men."

I sighed as I ran my hand along the edge of the smooth white wall. I poked my head over and smiled as I saw how high up we were, miles and miles above the ground. I loved it. "It sucks, too. Minas Tirith is a beautiful place...full of innocent people who probably don't even know that their ruler is insane."

It was quiet for a moment, until Pippin spoke up again. "...Well, it's a nice place...somewhat. Where to next?"

I looked down at him with raised eyebrows. "There is no 'next,' Pippin. We're staying here."

He frowned. "You mean...we're not going to go get help? But Denethor said he wouldn't-"

"No," Gandalf said, cutting him off as he gaze out towards the jagged black outline of Mordor. "We cannot go search for help...help must come to us now."


	7. Let's Get This Show on the Road

**A/N: Can I just say that I love it when I get new people to review? :3 And that I feel awesome when I get people who start reviewing, like...every chapter I post? Love it. LOVE. IT. There should be more of that.**

**...okay, I'm done. XD Sorry, but I just read a review from a guest by the name of TheLadyElla, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. To that lovely guest: YOU'RE SO NICE! 3 3 3 I-I'm your favorite author? Really? Wow...that's crazy! :D Thank you so much for the compliments! And I'm glad you get my references, by the way. XD I'd feel lame if I was referencing all this stuff...and no one got the jokes but me. *forever alone***

**Anyway, enjoy the new chapter! :D**

To Whatever End: Chapter Seven

Erin's POV

Naturally, I spent the remainder of our first day in Minas Tirith exploring the city. I met a random girl named Terawyn (who I nicknamed Tera) in one of the shops down on the first level, and the two of us soon became fast friend when she offered to show me around and be my guide. Tera was rather small for her age of seventeen, with short, light brown hair that fell in loose waves to only her shoulders. Her big eyes were a deep mocha brown, and she was a pretty spunky girl. I liked her.

We'd made our way up to the sixth level from the bottom of the city complex in just three and a half hours, which is pretty good considering the size of Minas Tirith and all. Tera had shown me where her house and introduced me to her parents, one younger sister, one older sister, and three older brothers so that I knew where to go to if I ever got lost or needed help or anything. I had decided to start saying that I lived here was I was little, but had been gone for so long that I'd forgotten almost everything about the city. She had a nice middle-class family with enough hospitality to cover all of Gondor and then some. In fact, they reminded me of another friend and her family that I'd known for over ten years from back home. Tera's little sister, Jeída, was especially cute. She was only twelve, but so adorable.

In any event, we emerged onto the sixth level later that day, just after sunset. It was August now, so the nights were still pretty warm, especially so now that we were down in southern Middle-Earth. Tera pulled off the light cloak-jacket-thing she'd been wearing. "Ugh! I'm sweating like an animal!"

"You look like one, too," I joked. She tried to smack me, but I ducked, laughing. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I've told you already; I pick on my friends."

"Lucky me," Tera replied with an eyeroll. "Remind me not to let you in the next time you decide to come visit my house." We both laughed, and she stopped walking, glancing up at the sky and just now noticing how dark out it was. Tera had been enough to buy us both dinner, so that wasn't an issue, but it was still late. "Oh, no! Mother's going to be so angry when I get home! It's past sundown!" She turned me apologetically. "I'm so sorry Erin, but I have to go. Can you find your way up to the citadel again from here?"

I nodded and smiled at my new friend. "Don't worry about me. I can ask around if I get lost. See ya, Tera."

"Goodbye, Erin!" She waved quickly and then turned, running back down in the direction of her house.

I watched her go for a second before heading in the opposite direction. I figured if I just kept going up and stuck to the main road, I'd hit the top floor soon enough. Thankfully, that method worked, because within another I'd made it back to the palace of Minas Tirith easily. I stopped the first guard I saw and asked him where Gandalf was, to which he responded by telling me the old wizard was in the library. The same guy was nice enough to lead me there, and he led me off to a side room within the main library that he said was called "The Chamber of Records."

I went down the stairs and into the small, cluttered room, curious as to what the Istari would be doing down here. "Gandalf?"

There was movement from across the room, and I looked over to see his white-haired head peek out from behind a large stack of papers. "Ah! Erin! How are you, my dear?"

"I'm good, thanks," I said as I walked over to him. The more I looked around, the more familiar this place seemed to be, and I realized that it was the same room Gandalf had read the Account of Isildur in from _Fellowship of the Ring._ "Whatcha doing?"

He was currently flipping through a series of old, faded parchment with a list of something on it that looked that made it look like it was an index of some sort. "I am trying to see if there were ever any others who have come here from other universes like you." He took a thoughtful puff on his pipe.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "Why? Did you find out something important?"

Now Gandalf turned to look at me and stopped flipping. "Did Kathryn not tell you?" I shook my head. "Hmm. I thought she would have at least mentioned something to you and Kaia..." He turned forwards again.

"What? What was she supposed to tell me?" I asked, now even more curious.

Gandalf didn't even glance back at me this time. "She wants to go home."

At first, I blinked, sort of taken aback by the statement. "...Go home? Why?"

"She told me she feels as if she has no purpose here," he replied. "Kathryn came to me for help, and I offered to do some research on the possibilities of getting her back when I got the chance."

I was silent for awhile, shocked and hurt by what I'd just learned. "...Oh...okay." More silence. "I guess I'll just...go back to our room, then." With this new discovery in mind, I turned and left the Chamber of Records._ How could Kathryn think of something like that and not tell me? _I was confused. _Did she think I'd be mad at her? Obviously she meant to keep it a secret, if she only told Gandalf, but...why?_

oOo

Kathryn's POV

"Kaaaaaaiaaa!" I yelled as I sprinted across the throne room. I skidded to a stop just before running right into her back.

"Jesus, Kathryn!" she exclaimed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Everything," I answered with a grin. "You know that already."

She laughed. "Very true. What's up?"

"Not much. I just thought that maybe we could hang out for a bit. You know, just the two of us."

"Let's do it!" she said with a smile. "What were you thinking?"

I shrugged, and we stood there for a second until an idea hit me. "You want to go horseback riding? We are in Rohan, after all."

Surprisingly, Kaia looked kinda uneasy about that. "I'm not really that good with horses."

I waved it off. "Oh, come on. This is the first chance we've had to have fun together without random drama popping up! You should at least try." Not waiting for her response, I twisted around and looked over at Éomer, who was seated at a table eating an early lunch. "Éomer! Can Kaia and I borrow your horse for a bit?" He nodded. "Thanks!" Then I turned back around, grabbed Kaia by the arm, and started dragging her in the direction of the stables.

"Kathryn!" she yelled as we burst outside and headed down the Golden Hall's front steps. "Are you crazy? I don't even know how to ride!"

"Then how did you get all the way here from Rivendell?" I retorted.

I didn't see the flaw in my argument until Kaia had already responded in a smug tone. "Apparently you forgot that the Fellowship did a lot of walking, dear."

I frowned. "Shut up! We're already here, anyway." That was true. Kaia and I had just stepped into the large stable building that housed all the royal horses and those belonging to guests. I recognized Arod and Brego in their stalls, along with two empty ones nearby where Shadowfax and Frania should've been. _But they're not, because Erin's dumb and had to go running off to Gondor without us._

Either way, I also found my own horse, Hasufel, and quickly let him out of his stall. He waited patiently for me as I led Kaia three horses down to where Firefoot, Éomer's grey and white speckled horse, was kept. The stallion was just as proud and stubborn as his master, so it took quite a bit of convincing to get him to come out and let Kaia mount him.

"You'd better be a good boy and not get her killed," I whispered to him. Firefoot let out an indignant-sounding snort in response.

I tried not to laugh as I watched Kaia steady herself in the saddle, still looking down at the ground warily. Out of nowhere, she looked up at me. "It smells like shit in here."

Now I did laugh a bit. "Gee, I wonder why? Way to be observant," I teased as I swung myself up onto Hasufel's back. I wasn't wearing a dress today, so I could ride normally instead of sidesaddle.

"So...how do you make it go?" my best friend asked, now turning her attention to the horse she was sitting on.

I shook my head. "You kick him gently in the side with your heels," I said, "like this." I showed her how to nudge her horse into action as I pushed Hasufel into a walk, stopping at the doorway to the stables.  
Kaia looked at me, let out a breath, then got a determined look on her face and gripped the reins tightly. She dug her heels into Firefoot's sides, but for whatever reason, the horse suddenly let out a loud whinny at her actions and took off into a full-on gallop. Kaia screamed as they whipped right past Hasufel and I, flying right out of the stables and heading down towards the main gate of Edoras. "HOLY SHIT! MOTHER OF GOD, SLOW DOWN!" I heard her yell. It didn't work. Firefoot just kept going.

I gasped, but it quickly dissolved into a laugh as I spurred Hasufel into action as well, trying to catch up to them. I wasn't too far behind, but still. Kaia was going absolutely insane. She was still screaming profanities at Firefoot, which didn't do anything to calm him down, arms flailing wildly in the air. It was a miracle she managed to stay balanced and in the saddle. My laughter continued as I followed them right out of the small town and out onto the open plains surrounding it.

"YOU BASTARD HORSE! I SAID SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!" My grin widened a bit as I saw Kaia lean dangerously to the right as Firefoot made a sudden turn, and she screamed again. "NO! NOT CHANGE DIRECTION! STOP MOVING!" I dug my heels into Hasufel's sides and willed him to go faster so I could catch up to her. "OH MY GOD!"

After another minute or so of that insanity, I finally managed to pull up beside her as our two horses galloped wildly across the grass. "Kaia!"

She looked over at me, eyes bulging. At this point, she'd stopped flailing her arms about like a crazy person, but now she was sort of awkwardly laying on her stomach against Firefoot, with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she clung to him for dear life. "Help me!" she screeched.

I only laughed harder. "Just pull on the reins and say 'Woah!'"

"NO! I'm not letting go of this damn animal!"  
"Then I guess he'll just keep running!"

Kaia glared at me, but was silent. Finally, she sat upright again and grabbed the leather reins in her fists, yanking on them hard. "HEY, ASSHOLE! STOP RUNNING!"

It worked. Firefoot let out a loud whinny of protest (as Kaia was pulling way too hard), but slid to a stop anyway, his hooves tearing up grass and dirt as he skidded across the ground. I also stopped Hasufel and watched as Kaia slowly calmed her breathing and placed both hands on his neck to steady herself. "You did it!" I cried, beaming from ear to ear.

She gave me a "shut the hell up" look. "Never...speak of this...to anyone," she said lowly as she took up the reins again, ready to head back to the Golden Hall.

I just winked as we made u-turns. "No promises." Then a moment later, with an amused glint in my eye, said "...Race you back to the gate!" A second later, I was off again, with Hasufel moving over the plains at breakneck speed. I heard shouts behind me and glanced over my shoulder, laughing as I saw Kaia struggling to catch up with me from behind.

"YOU BITCH!" I heard her shout. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"NOT IF YOU CAN'T CATCH ME FIRST!" I yelled back.

oOo

Needless to say, I won the race back to Edoras. After that little adventure was over (and Kaia swore never to sit on a horse by herself ever again), we headed back up to the Golden Hall and went to my bedroom, deciding to just sit and talk about random crap until I had to go back out and do some servant stuff. I met up with her again after dinner when she was outside at the back of the building, standing on the edge of the terrace with Aragorn. It was already dark out, with a clear, starry sky overhead.

"Hey guys," I said as I walked up. "What's going on?"

"Nothing really," Kaia answered. "We're just kind of talking."

"Not about horses, I guess," I said, imitating Trollface.

Kaia punched me in the arm. "Shut up! I said to not speak of it!"

Aragorn laughed at how we picked on each other. "You two certainly do not treat each other as normal friends would," he said.

I shrugged. "Haters gonna hate." We all laughed.

oOo

Erin's POV

It was about eight or nine o'clock at night. Gandalf, Pippin and I were all in the large guest suite that we'd been provided with for the duration of our stay in Minas Tirith. The wise old wizard was standing out on the stone balcony under the middle of three archways, smoking his pipe. I was sitting inside the room on top of a big wooden trunk that sat at the foot of what was to be my bed, a pencil-post one made of dark brown wood, with clean white sheets and a navy blue blanket covering it. Pippin wasn't too far off, examining the stuff that had been delivered to him just a few minutes ago by one of the guards. He'd been given a huge bundle of stuff that he'd need for when he officially became a servant of Denethor, and it was all spread out on the bed. A nice black sleeveless tunic with the White Tree stitched into the front, a suit of chainmail, a blue leather jerkin, and some weapons to fit his small size were just a couple of the things he'd gotten.

Pippin picked up his small sword and unsheathed it, eying it up. "So I imagine this is just a...ceremonial possession." He laid it back down on his bed. "I mean...they don't actually expect me to do any fighting..." I looked over at him, and he met my gaze, his expression changing to one of worry. "...Do they?"

I gave him a knowing look. "You'd be surprised," I said quietly before looking away. My gaze now rested on the smooth stone floor as Gandalf spoke.

"You're in the service of the Steward now; you're going to have to do as you're told, Peregrin Took!" He coughed, choking on the smoke a bit. Pippin poured a small cup of water using a pitcher that was nearby and walked it out to him as the wizard kept coughing. I couldn't help but smirk a bit. _And that, dear friends, is why I refuse to ever put a pipe in my mouth. _

There was a low rumble of thunder, despite the cloudless night...and I knew exactly where it was coming from. Mordor. I took a deep breath. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields would be coming up soon. Very soon. And I'd have to be prepared for it...but I had so much to think about at the moment. I still hadn't figured out exactly why I was supposed to come here in the first place. I'd told Gandalf about the cryptic dream that I'd had, but even he hadn't been able to tell me why I might be needed here. Of course, I also had Kathryn to think about. I was still totally lost as to why she'd want to leave Middle-Earth completely...especially since I thought she'd want to stay for Faramir. Kaia was a concern of mine, too, because of this big prediction about one of us dying. And then there was Legolas... I sighed. _Even when I'm in a completely different kingdom, I can't get away from them. _

Suddenly, Pippin's small voice shook me from my thoughts. "...There's no more stars."

I blinked and looked up with a frown. "What? Pippin, it's a cloudless..." I trailed off. He was right. They were all gone. Clouds had covered the lovely view of the heavens we'd had just moments ago. _Wow, Sauron. Way to troll. _

"Is it time?" the hobbit asked quietly, looking up at Gandalf.

"Yes," he replied. I got up and walked over to the edge of the soft moonlight that spilled into the room, standing on the borders of the shadows. All three of us stared out at the Enemy's stronghold.

"It's so quiet," Pippin said.

Even though I knew it was Gandalf's line, I couldn't help myself. "It's the deep breath before the plunge," I spoke up. "War is coming to Minas Tirith...and it'll be here sooner than you know it."

Pippin was now leaning up against the balcony railing. "I don't want to be in a battle. But waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse." Gandalf also stepped up beside him, but I didn't move. "...Is there any hope, Gandalf? For Frodo and Sam?" At the mention of the two brave hobbits, my eyes flicked down to where I figured Minas Morgul was.

"There never was much hope...Just a fool's hope."

"And no cause is lost, if there is but one fool left to fight for it," I added, smiling to myself as I quoted one of my favorite pirates of all time.

There was another short pause before Gandalf started his description of the army to come that I knew by heart. "...Our enemy is ready. His full strength's gathered. Not only Orcs, but Men as well. Legions of Haradrim from the south, mercenaries from the coast...All who will answer Mordor's call. This will be the end of Gondor as we know it. Here the hammerstroke will fall hardest. If the river is taken; if the garrison at Osgiliath falls, the last defense of this city will be gone."

"But we have the White Wizard," Pippin said with an optimistic tone. "That's got to count for something." I almost laughed bitterly, but held it back when the man in question didn't answer immediately. "...Gandalf?"

The Istari straightened up a bit...out of nerves, perhaps? "Sauron has yet to reveal his deadliest servant, the one who will lead Mordor's armies in war. The one they say no living man can kill." There was a pause. "The Witch-King of Angmar. You've met him before, Pippin. He stabbed Frodo on Weathertop." Fearful recognition lit up on the hobbit's face at the mention of that terrible night. "He is the Lord of the Nazgûl, the greatest of the Nine. Minas Morgul is his lair."

"Where's that?" Pippin asked.

Now I finally stepped out of the room, standing next to him and pointing out into the distance. "Right there, I think." I sighed. "And to think, he's coming here...to us. Along with all the rest of those nasty creatures."

Pippin looked up at me, still looking pretty freaked out. "But...we'll make it through. We'll be okay, right Erin?"

_Oh, how I wish I could say yes. But even I don't know anymore. _I settled for placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I sure hope so." Seeing Pip's face fall at my negativity, I tried to brighten his spirits a bit. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and have more time to prepare for what's coming."

Not a second after I said that, there was a bright flash from off in the distance, and I looked out in horror to see none other than the dreaded signal from Minas Morgul spiraling up into the black night sky, a ghostly green spike penetrating through the darkness.

I cringed. "...Or not."

oOo

Kaia's POV

When the green swirling light shot up into the sky and popped out over the tops of the mountains, just barely visible on the horizon to us, it startled us all. Well...it startled Kathryn and Aragorn, anyway. It scared the living hell out of me. _Oh God...no...Tell me that's not what I think it is._

The three of us stared at it, entranced, before Kathryn spoke up after a couple seconds. "...W-What is that thing? Where's it coming from?"

My mouth went dry. "...It's a signal..." I whispered, unable to look away. I tensed as I realized what that meant for me. "The armies of Mordor are on the move."

"How do you know this?" Aragorn asked. I ignored him. _No...it can't be this soon! Oh Lord...what am I gonna do?_

"Kaia?" Kathryn asked worriedly. I knew I was probably freaking them both out, but...I couldn't tell them anything. So I just shook my head, still never looking away from the signal for a few more seconds, and then turned, breaking into a run as I headed back inside Meduseld. _Time's running out...FUCK._

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I turned to Aragorn after Kaia slipped inside the Golden Hall's back door. We both had similar looks on our faces. "What the hell was that about?" I asked. The older man just shook his head and glanced at the door with worry before we both turned and looked back out to the horizon, where this... 'signal,' as Kaia called it, was still brightly flashing in the sky. _Whatever it is, I sure hope Erin's not involved with it._

oOo

Erin's POV

Gandalf, Pippin and were all tense, fear evident on our faces as we looked out towards the symbol of war. I will admit, going through this scene in person was pretty terrifying. I'd known from the beginning that this upcoming battle wouldn't be easy, what with basically all of Mordor and some extras going up against us, but...this was just scary. It was suddenly a lot clearer to me that my chances of not surviving this battle were pretty high. "...That's it, then," I said, again stealing the wizard's line. "The board is set...the pieces are moving."

"We come to it at last," Gandalf said in agreement, his voice barely above a whisper. "The great battle of our time..."


	8. Denethor Should See a Therapist

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating daily like normal, but for whatever reason I couldn't find the time to sit down and write very often this past week. I'll definitely try and get back into a less sporadic writing schedule. :) If this chapter sucks...it's because I promised Kathryn I would update today, so...it might be a little rushed. ^^; This is kinda just a filler chapter, and I didn't really know what to do with it. Hope you like it anyways! :D**

To Whatever End: Chapter Eight

Aragorn's POV

I slowly opened the door of our company's large guest room, glancing around in the darkness. "Kaia? Are you here?"

There was the soft shuffling of movement, and then I heard her quietly respond. "Yeah, I'm here."

I opened the door fully now, allowing for light to flood into the room, cutting a straight pathway down through the center of it. Kaia's bed was perfectly centered in the beam of light, and she was sitting upright in it, looking stressed. I stepped into the room and walked over to her, crouching down. "Are you alright? You seem worried."

She sighed. "I am."

"Would you care to explain your behavior outside?" That had concerned both myself and Kathryn as well.

Kaia hesitated. "...I can't. I'm really sorry, Aragorn, but I just can't tell you." She stared at me a moment longer. "...I wish I could, though."

I gave her a small smile. "I understand. It is not my place to bother you about it."

"Yeah," she said. "That's Kathryn's job." We both chuckled a bit at that. "Now enough about me. How are _you_ doing?"

"Well enough," I said. "There is still much that plagues my mind, but I can manage."

Kaia nodded. "It sucks, you know. Middle-Earth would be so much nicer without Sauron around to constantly throw shit in our faces." She exhaled and leaned back on her arms. "Though I gotta admit...going on this big adventure's definitely one of the high points in my life. I'm glad I did it."

"Do you regret anything?"

She thought about that. "...I regret causing drama back after we got out of Moria. That's gotta be the biggest thing. And...to some extent, fighting with Boromir. But only a little," she added quickly. Then she shot me a warning look. "Don't tell Erin that. She'll never let me live it down."

I smiled a bit. "I will say nothing."

"What about you?" she asked next. "Do you wish you could do anything over?"

I sighed. "Saying goodbye to Arwen, as you know. It has haunted me almost every single day since we began this journey. And I regret not being able to save Boromir, Merry, and Haldir from death." My smile faded a bit. I would always regret that. "...But like you, I do not regret joining the Fellowship. Not at all."

There was a few moments of silence before Kaia spoke once more. Now her voice sounded...a bit unsure of herself. "...Do you think that we're even going to win this war?" She was so quiet. It was not like her at all, but I did not pester her about it. I looked up at her and met her gaze for a moment. "It just...it seems like the entire world's against us, almost."

"I know," I said with a nod. "I cannot predict the outcome of this war, Kaia...but I would much rather die fighting against the Dark Lord than simply giving up and allowing him to win."

Kaia smiled a small smile again. "...Me too."

oOo

Erin's POV

I stood next to Gandalf, leaning back against the corner of a white stone wall in Minas Tirith. The two of us were trying to discreetly watch the tower that poked out of the mountainside far above the White City, which Pippin was supposed to be trying to infiltrate and light the first beacon to signal for help. As much as I loved him, I couldn't help but mentally facepalm at how obvious Gandalf was being. He wasn't being very secretive at all. To break the semi-awkward silence that hung in the air, I said "So how long is this supposed to take? We've been standing here for almost fifteen minutes!"

"Quiet," Gandalf scolded in a whisper. "We do not want others to notice him."

Apparently he wasn't in the mood for chit-chat, so I clamped my mouth shut and nodded, glancing back up at the tower quickly before turning my attention back down to my shoes. _Dang...these things are dirty. I should clean them sometime. _I kicked at a small pebble. _Or maybe I should just get some new shoes altogether. That'd be nice. I wonder if they sell boots like these here? Probably not, since they're of elvish make. I'll have to ask Tera sometime._

Suddenly, I was jolted out of my mind ramblings by the shout of a nearby soldier. "The beacon! The beacon of Amûn Dín is lit!"

I snapped my head up and quickly walked over to where Gandalf stood by a low wall, a smile on his face and a glimmer of confidence in his eyes, which I'm sure was mirrored in my own green ones as I spotted the bright flames of other beacons flaring up on the peaks of mountains in the distance. "Hope...is kindled."

"He didn't let us down," I said, smiling as well. _And that means Rohan will come soon enough...hopefully with Kaia, Kathryn and L...the others in tow. _I turned my attention to the horizon, staring off in the direction of Edoras. _Please come quickly!_

oOo

Kathryn's POV

"So...how's life?" I asked Legolas, who just happened to be standing next to me when I was finished doing my morning chores in Edoras that day.

He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. "You stole that from Erin."

"Yes. Yes I did," I said. He laughed, and would've went on to answer my question if Aragorn hadn't chosen that exact moment to come flying in the doors, with Kaia literally a step behind him. The main doors were viciously shoved open with a resounding _bang_, and I jumped. "Jesus! What's with people always slamming doors here?" I shrieked as I spun around.

"THE BEACONS OF MINAS TIRITH!" Aragorn shouted, stumbling a bit as he tried to break his sprint. Both he and Kaia looked like they'd just run a marathon. "THE BEACONS ARE LIT!" He finally reached the king, who had just been going over something with his advisers. "Gondor calls for aid!"

All eyes turned from the duo that had just charged into the main hall to King Théoden himself, who stared at Aragorn for a long while, thinking.

"Well, come on!" Kaia panted. "We don't have all day! We've gotta go help them!"

It seemed like everyone was waiting with bated breath as the king stood in silence, making a decision. A century and a half later, he spoke. "...And Rohan will answer!" Oddly enough, it wasn't relief that washed over the room, it was an air of seriousness. "Muster the Rohirrim!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Éomer nod to his sister and walk off. Éowyn looked pretty pissed about something, but I didn't know what.

"Kathryn." I turned around and looked at Legolas. "Will you ride with us?" he asked,

I blinked, thinking for a second. "Uhh...yeah, I guess." Then I remembered that this was the part where Rohan's armies went to Minas Tirith to help them out. "Yeah! Yeah, of course I'm coming! Why wouldn't I?" He nodded and then walked off to prepare himself.

Everyone burst into a flurry of activity after that. People started running around and rushing to get ready to leave, as the king said he wanted us out of there within a few hours. It obviously didn't take me long to get packed up, so as soon as I had changed back into my normal gold and brown traveling outfit and grabbed the essentials from my room, I slung the medium-sized leather bag over my shoulder and strode out of my room to go find Éowyn. She was outside, tightening the straps of her horse's bridle, and I walked over to her. "Hey! You ready to go?"

She nodded and smiled at me. "Yes, I believe so."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Aragorn a few feet away, also getting Brego ready to leave. Poking Éowyn in the side, I whispered "Look! There's your man!"

She blushed a bit and tried to glare at me, but I still saw her try and subtly glance his way. "Kathryn, please!"

"Don't you 'please' me, woman. Go say hi!" I gave her a gentle push in his direction, and she rolled her eyes, but then led her brown mare over to him anyways. I followed her, pulling Hasufel along with me.

When we casually stopped next to him, the future king looked over at us, particularly Éowyn, with a slightly surprised look. "You ride with us?"

"Just to the encampment," she corrected him before I could say anything. "It's tradition for the women of the court to farewell the men."

At this, I blinked. I knew good and well that she'd made that up on the spot, and then suddenly realized that I really had no clue why Éowyn actually was going. At that moment, Aragorn reached over and lifted up a bundle of cloth that was draped over her horse, revealing the hilt of her own personal sword underneath. That jogged my memory. _Oh yeah! She's supposed to go and fight to help kill that bad guys!_

Once Éowyn realized what he'd seen, she quickly pushed the cloth back down over the weapon, hiding it again. She looked guilty for a split second, but that quickly changed to a determined expression next. "The men have found their captain," she said quietly. "They will follow you into battle, even to death." I wondered where the hell that had come from and glanced at Aragorn, who kind of had a look on his face that was like 'dear God, please don't remind me.'

There was an awkward silence for a moment until I clapped my hands together rather loudly. "Well! We should probably be ready to ride out soon." I smoothly swung myself up into Hasufel's saddle, and my two other friends did the same. That was when I realized that a couple people from our regular group were missing. "Where's Kaia, Gimli, and Legolas?" I asked.

"I'm right here," said a familiar voice.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Kaia walk up behind me. "Oh good," I said. "I thought you'd gotten yourself lost."

She scoffed. "You wish. Can I ride with you?"  
"What, you still don't trust your own horse riding instincts?"

"Shut up," she said. I laughed and let her up anyway.

Eventually, the elf and dwarf also caught up with us on Arod, and just in time, too. Soon enough, we were all clustered together by the gate, and Éomer's voice could be heard shouting over all the others to give us a spark of motivation. "Riders of Rohan! Oaths you have taken! Now fulfill them all! To lord and land!" I slipped into my place between Kaia and the king's heir himself, and just like that, we were on the move again.

oOo

Erin's POV

I was casually browsing through the shops on the first level of Minas Tirith, looking for something to eat for a late breakfast one morning while thinking about yet another cryptic dream that I'd had the night before. It had been pretty freaky. I'd envisioned the scene where Faramir had been dragged back to Minas Tirith after going out on the suicide mission from his dad, only this time...he hadn't come back alive at all. He'd never woken up. He'd seriously _died_.

After I'd woken up early that morning from the dream, I hadn't been able to fall back asleep, so I'd taken a long bath to relax a bit, pulled my wet hair tightly into a side braid, and changed into a textured dark grey dress with an under layer that faded from medium to light grey that was visible through a long slit down the front. It had bunched dark grey sleeves and a white piece of fabric that was kind of like a scarf for an accessory, but I just let it hang freely from my neck. After that had been accomplished, I'd snuck out of the suite and headed down to the first floor, just to hang out alone for awhile and think.

Just as I stepped out of the bakery with a fresh loaf of bread in my hand, I heard a screech. A screech that by all means was _not _human. I froze and then ran over to the highest point along the main wall with a ton of other people, pushing my way to the front. My eyes widened when I saw a small mass of Gondorian soldiers, both on horseback and on foot, fleeing for their lives across the plains in front of Minas Tirith. They were being attacked by three massive Fell Beasts from above; disgusting hybrids between lizards and dragons, with none other than three Nazgûl leading them.

The roars of their pets and ear-piercing screams of the wraiths themselves echoed in the air, and just as I was about to panic, someone shouted "It's the White Rider!" I quickly spotted another lone rider in white galloping out towards the terrified soldiers, a bright white light from the tip of his staff shooting out and shining brightly on the servants of Sauron.

"Oh thank God," I breathed, exhaling as Gandalf drove the monsters away. Once they'd finally turned and headed back to the fallen city of Osgiliath, I gathered up my skirts and booked it out of there, taking as many shortcuts as I could to reach the front gates as quickly as possible.

I arrived just in time to get nearly run over by several soldiers on horses that were rushing past me and further into the city. Some were injured, some weren't, but as a whole the group seemed fine. After a coupled minutes of searching, I caught a glimpse of curly red hair sticking out among everyone else, and instantly knew it was Pippin. I pushed my way through the packed area again, weaving around other men and their horses. "Gandalf! Gandalf! Pippin!"

The old wizard heard his name being called and turned Shadowfax around a bit so that both he and the small hobbit in front of him were facing me. We were right in the center of it all, next to a tall grey statue. "Erin!" Pippin cried, smiling.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked, and they nodded. "You're not hurt?"

"We are fine, Erin," Gandalf reassured me. "There is no need for you to worry."  
"Well, it's not exactly a normal morning when the Nazgûl show up and attack you," I said, smiling a bit.

Gandalf returned it and opened his mouth to speak again, but he was cut off when someone called his name from behind. "Mithrandir!" I moved to the side a little, just enough to see Faramir finally make is appearance as he trotted up to the Istari on his horse. "They broke through our defenses," he said breathlessly. "They've taken the bridge and the west bank. Battalions of Orcs are crossing the river."

"It is as the Lord Denethor predicted!" someone else suddenly piped up. I looked over to see some blonde dude in armor and a royal-looking cape walk over to us for a moment. I couldn't be sure, but I think that it was Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth from the southern shores. "Long has he foreseen this doom!"

"Who asked you?" I muttered under my breath.

Gandalf was the one who openly sneered at him. "Foreseen and done nothing!" he spat. As he said this, he turned Shadowfax towards Faramir, exposing Pippin to the man in the process. I moved over a little more so I could still see what was going on, but remained silent.

Faramir noticed the hobbit immediately and stared at him for a couple minutes, to which Pippin shifted uncomfortably. "Faramir?" Gandalf said, and he looked up. "...This is not the first Halfling to have crossed your path," he said in sudden realization.

"No," Faramir replied with a shake of the head.

Pippin's face instantly lit up in a smile. "You've seen Frodo and Sam!" he gasped.

Faramir nodded, and Gandalf looked equally as shocked. "Where? When?"

"In Ithilien," he responded, "not two days ago." The moment of happiness was shattered when Faramir looked at the wizard seriously. "Gandalf, they're taking the road to the Morgul Vale."

His expression changed from hope to terror. "...And then the pass of Cirith Ungol..." Faramir nodded grimly.

"What does that mean?" Pippin asked, unaware of the danger his two friends were in. "What's wrong?"

Gandalf ignored his question. "Faramir...tell me everything. Spare no details."

He nodded in response, but before they could run off for a meeting, I decided to make my presence known. I stepped out from behind Shadowfax and up towards Faramir, extending a hand for him to shake. "I don't think we've met. I'm Erin. I came here with Gandalf and Pippin," I said, nodding to the two.

Faramir looked me over with a curious expression. "You are sure we have not met before? You remind me of someone I knew."

I smiled a bit and nodded, knowing exactly who he was talking about. "I'm a friend of Kathryn's."

His face immediately lit up with a smile. "Kathryn?" he repeated. "How is she? Is she still in Edoras?"

"Yeah, she's doing pretty good," I said. _Apparently he hasn't forgotten her at all. _"Still with Théoden and them."

"Good," he said, a bit quieter. "I hope she remains there, where it is safe."

"Actually, she-"

"Forgive me, Erin," Gandalf cut in, "but I need to discuss Faramir's interactions with Frodo and Sam as soon as possible."

I smiled at him. "No, it's cool." I then looked back to Faramir. "We can talk later." He nodded, and I said my goodbyes before starting the long trek back up to the top of Minas Tirith.

oOo

Later that evening, I was walking through the halls of the citadel looking for Faramir. I hadn't seen him since I'd first introduced myself, and I really did want to talk to him, more so now that I was sort of coming to a conclusion on what my dream earlier was telling me. I was just about to walk through an open doorway that led out onto the balcony above the throne room when I heard an angry shout. "You did WHAT?!"

I slowed my pace and ducked behind a thick black pillar at the edge of the railing. The voice was unmistakably Denethor's, and it was Faramir who responded. His voice was much quieter, and he sounded terribly afraid to speak. "I let them go. I had no other choice."

"No other-!" Denethor was fuming. I realized that this was the point where Faramir was supposed to explain to his father that he, at one point, had been _this_ close to taking the Ring for his own, but chose to let them go. _This isn't gonna go well. _"You overlooked the simplest and most obvious solution!" There was a pause, and then the steward spoke in a hissing voice full of hatred. "This is how you would serve your city? You would risk its utter ruin?"

"I did what I judged to be right." Faramir sounded more sure of himself now, but it was still easy to tell how nervous he was around his dad. _That's so messed up. No one should feel that way around their own father. _

"What you judged to be right?" Denethor returned to yelling at his son again. "You sent the Ring of Power into MORDOR! In the hands of a witless HALFLING!" The next time he spoke, he sounded more...distant...as though he were talking to himself more than anyone else. "It should have been brought back to the citadel to be kept safe...hidden...dark and deep in the vaults...not to be used..." A much longer pause. "...Unless at the uttermost end of need."

I facepalmed. _And this is exactly why the world hates you._

"I would not use the Ring," Faramir countered. "Not if Minas Tirith were falling in ruin and I alone could save her!"

"Ever you desire to appear _lordly _and _gracious_, as a king of old," Denethor sneered. "Boromir would've remembered his father's need. He would've brought me a kingly gift."

"Boromir would not have brought the Ring," the steward's son shot back, but not angrily. He remained calm and collected throughout the entire conversation, which I respected him immensely for. "He would've stretched out his hand and taken the thing; he would have fallen."

"You know nothing of this matter!" Denethor said sharply.

"He would've kept it for his own!" You could feel how tense it was with your fingers. I was afraid to breathe in the few seconds of silence. "...And when he returned...you would not have known your son.

"Boromir was loyal to me!" Denethor shouted, and I heard him jump forward, getting off of his throne. _If you lay so much as one finger on Faramir, I will KILL YOU. _"Not some wizard's pupil!" Suddenly, I heard him stumble and fall, and the old man let out a slight groan of pain. I shifted position a tiny bit so that I could see them clearly, and looked down on the Steward, who'd just tripped and fallen backwards into his black throne. He might've been insane and intimidating at times, but at the heart, he really was nothing more that a weak, pathetic old man.

Faramir hesitated, then went forward to help his dad up. "Father?"

Denethor stared up at him for a long while, his face morphing into a look of...happiness? Was that hope I saw in him? It seemed impossible.

And then he finally spoke, a wavering smile on his lips as he stood. "...My son..." Faramir just stared back at him, confused, but I tensed as I remembered what was happening. _...He's seeing things. He's not looking at Faramir...he's looking at a hallucination of Boromir._

After a few seconds, the smile faded from his face, and for a moment, I saw the true Denethor. I saw the weak, unstable, unsure, panicking Denethor, the desperate Denethor. Then his face returned to it s typical scowl as he noticed Faramir again. "...Leave me," he whispered harshly. Faramir simply did as he was told, and I waited until Denethor was seated on his throne again before quietly slipping out of my hiding place, going back the way I'd come. _I need to find Faramir NOW._

**A/N: Sorry to end it on such a depressing note. XD For those of you that don't know, the final scene is from the extended editions, called "The Wizard's Pupil." I tried my best to describe the emotions and tension perfectly for you guys, but even I'm not perfect. I suggest (if you haven't already seen this part) you look up the scene on YouTube. Seriously. It's such a good part of the movie, and it really helps you understand the whole Faramir/Boromir/Denethor thing better. Speaking of Faramir...he's gonna become a REALLY important character in this book. So hopefully you guys like seeing him. :D**

**As always, don't forget to review! :3 It makes me smile!**


	9. Of Orcs and Men

To Whatever End: Chapter Nine

Erin's POV

"Faramir!" The young captain of Gondor stopped walking and turned around at my shouts. I ran up to him, pausing for a second to catch my breath before speaking. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Have you now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I could still see the hurt in his eyes from the recent conversation with his father, though.

I nodded. "I told you that we'd talk later, and...well, now it's later," I said with a smile.

He chuckled. "Where shall we go?"

"Hmm...Do you have any gardens around here?"

"We do, in fact," he replied. "In the courtyard." Then he offered me his arm. "Come. I will lead you there."

I shook my head, declining his offered limb. "We can just walk. It's cool." He blinked at my response, but went with it anyway. The two of us walked side by side through the halls of the citadel, working our way towards the back of it.

"So, Erin...you are a friend of Kathryn's?"

I smiled to myself when he brought her up. "Yep! Been friends for several years now."

"When did you last see her?"

"About a month or so ago, when I was in Edoras with Pippin and Gandalf," I replied.

"And she was all right when you left her?"

"Yeah." I nodded, then looked over at him seriously. "Faramir."

He also looked up from where he'd been staring at the ground a moment earlier. "Yes?"

I hesitated for a minute, debating whether or not I should say anything. _Kathryn's gonna kill me if I do...Oh, screw it. _"Kathryn likes you," I said bluntly. "As in, she has feelings for you beyond that of a friend." Normally I would never tell anyone a friend's secret like this, much less the guy that she had a crush on, but...something about the way she'd described him in her stories she'd told me, along with how he kept talking about her made me think that Faramir possibly felt the same way.

It was silent for several long seconds as he processed what I'd just told him. "She...she does?"

I nodded, and he suddenly stopped walking, quickly opening a polished black door and ushering me inside. Or...outside, rather. I gasped. "Oh, Faramir! This is awesome!" We were both now standing in the courtyard he's told me about. It was absolutely covered in lush green grass, with small white stone walkways weaving through tons and tons of well-kept bushes, hedges, trees, patches of flowers...you name it. It was the prettiest thing in Minas Tirith I'd seen yet, and I had a feeling I'd be coming back here pretty often.

"The Gardens of Minas Tirith," Faramir said, smiling fondly as he stepped up next to me. He started walking again, and I followed him through the beautiful little haven.

At one point, we passed underneath a large, circular gazebo, with four sets of curves benches lined up on the edges and potted plants standing next to the ends of each one. There were four gaps in between the stone seats that branched off into different pathways, and Faramir headed down one of them. Shortly afterwards, we walked by an area that was nothing but a small field of healthy grass dotted with pale blue and lavender flowers everywhere. A single white bench sat underneath the shade and protection of two tall, slender trees with bushy green leaves, and it was here that Faramir and I sat together. After we were seated, I got right to the point. "Faramir, Kathryn's worried about you."

He looked alarmed by this. "What? Why?"

"She got freaked out when you stopped sending her letters and visiting Edoras, I guess. That's what she told me once, anyway."

Faramir looked ashamed. "It was never my intent to worry her." He sighed and looked down at the grass. "I tried to send letters to her, but...Father...Once he found out who I was writing to, he grew angry with me for 'falling for a lowly peasant girl.' He was angry with me for allowing myself to be distracted by her – though I assure you, I wasn't – and burned the letter, forbidding me to ever write to her again." My jaw dropped a bit. "I tried to secretly write to her, but I never got the chance. After he discovered what I was up to, Father gave me more and more work to do in the city. Soldier work, he called it. That was why he sent me to Osgiliath...to keep me away from contacting her. He said that it would make me a true man of Gondor, worthy of someone better than Kathryn." Now there was a flicker of bitterness in his eyes. "He judges her, yet he has never even met her! Kathryn is so much more than just a servant girl. But he will not see that," he finished sadly.

I felt horrible for both Faramir and Kathryn. "Oh my word...I'm so sorry, man," I said softly.

"Now I doubt she would ever forgive me," he went on. "I promised her that I would keep in touch, but..."

"Faramir, you know that Kathryn's gonna forgive you," I said. "It's not your fault that you couldn't write to her or visit. That was because of your dad. Wh...If you see her again, you should explain that to her. I'm sure she'll understand."

The man looked over at me again, looking so much like a hurt puppy in need of some serious love. "You really think so?"

I nodded. "I do. You can't just give up on her, Faramir. Don't let her get away from you. Kathryn's a great girl. And I'm not just saying that because she's my best friend." A small voice in the back of my head decided it was a good time to annoy me right then. _And who are you to give love advice? You can't even get your priorities with Legolas straight. _

_ Shut up, _I mentally countered as Faramir smiled a tiny bit. "Erin...thank you," he said. "I will not let her go."

I smiled. "There ya go. Stay positive." We sat and talked casually for a bit longer, until I stood up and stretched. "Hey, you mind if we walk around a bit more? I'm tired of sitting on this hard bench," I said.

"No, I don't mind at all," Faramir responded. The two of us walked out of the Gardens, laughing and quickly becoming good friends. I really hoped that Kathryn was planning on coming to Minas Tirith so that the two of them could be reunited. _Hey, don't worry about it, _I told myself. _Legolas will get both her and Kaia here. He promised he would. _

oOo

We had almost gotten all the way back to my guest room at the front of the citadel when we heard a soft voice from through the next hallway. I shushed Faramir and peeked out, smiling a bit when I saw Pippin there. I waved, but he didn't seem to notice me. Faramir also stepped out and stood in the doorway, and we listened as he mumbled to himself. "What were you thinking, Peregrin Took? What service can a hobbit offer such a great lord of men?" I mentally snorted. _Great lord of men? That's cute. _

Faramir finally spoke loudly and walked forward into the hallway. "It was well done." I followed him in, and Pippin looked up at both of us in shock as we went over to him. He hopped up off of his seat once Faramir reached him. "Generous deeds should not be checked with cold counsel."

"Anyways!" I said, grinning and ruffling his curly hair. "You're gonna make an epic guard, Pip."

"Thank you," Pippin whispered.

"You are to join the Tower Guard?" Faramir asked. "That is a great honor."

Pippin nodded, then managed to smirk a bit. "I didn't think they would find any livery that would fit me."

"It once belonged to a young boy of the city," he replied. "A very foolish one, who spent many hours slaying dragons instead of attending to his studies." The last bit was said with a hint of amusement.

The hobbit understood what he was getting at. "This was yours?"

"Yes, it was mine. My father had it made for me." Faramir reached out and tugged on the sleeve of the velvet black overcoat, remembering his childhood.

Pippin grinned like a fool. "Well...I'm taller than you were then. Though, I'm not likely to grow anymore. Except sideways." Faramir and I both laughed.

"That's true, actually," I added in. "I don't think I've ever seen someone who can eat more than you, Pip." The redhead just smiled proudly and joined in laughing with us.

"It never fit me either," Faramir said after a second. "Boromir was always the soldier." My smile dimmed a bit with his, and now the captain of Gondor sounded sad...regretful, almost. "...They were so alike, he and my father. Proud...stubborn, even. But strong."

"I think you have strength, of a different kind," Pippin replied. "And one day your father will see it."

I looked back to the man, who only smiled sadly. _Now if we could just get __you__ to believe that, Faramir. _

oOo

Kaia's POV

"Get everyone up! On your feet! Weapons! We're being attacked!"

As soon as the shouts hit my ears, I was wide awake, my hands instantly flying to where my twin black blades still rested, even when I was sleeping. The entire camp was in panic, with warriors running all over the place, trying to grab their weapons and defend themselves. Already, I could see Orcs flooding into our large campsite, and ran right towards them without any hesitation. My blades glinted in the moonlight as they slashed through the neck of an enemy. _Been awhile since these bitches have seen battle._

Clearly, it was a sneak attack that had been sprung by a band of random Orcs. I knew that we were only about two days away from Dunharrow, which was where we were headed, so maybe these stupid creatures had been sent to slow us down or something. I didn't know, and I honestly didn't give a damn. I just wanted to kill them all.

Although I was a bit rusty from being so out of practice, I quickly got back into the comfortable, aggressive and precise fighting style that I had. I spun both blades around in my hands and shoved them backwards, stabbing directly into the chest of an Orc I had heard coming up behind me. I ripped them out, then stepped to the side and mercilessly attacked another, eventually slicing his stomach clean open and spilling stomach acid mixed with black blood onto the ground.

Normally I would have internally vomited, but after spending almost a year here in Middle-Earth, I was quite used to seeing some incredibly morbid and gross stuff like that, so I just kept going. Another ferocious roar sounded off to my right, so I quickly spun and connected one of my blades with him, then swiped the other one across his chest diagonally. After that, I spotted another Rohirrim soldier struggling to defend himself against an Orc nearby, so I ran over and stabbed the ugly thing in the back, nodding to the man before taking off in another direction.

It was an easy, smooth process. Slice, duck, dodge, swipe. Rinse and repeat. I was doing well, even after I got locked into a fairly tough one-on-one battle with a lean, tall Orc. I managed to get the best of him, and someone bumped into my back a second later. On instinct, I spun around, ready to behead the thing, but was stopped when a pair of twin white knives caught my own black ones in midair. "Oh! Legolas, it's just you!" I saw an Orc running up to him from behind, so I quickly stepped around the elf and sliced the arm off of the thing, sending it down. I then spun around to face him. "How you doing?"

He grunted as he parried a blow from an oncoming Orc, then slashed it twice across the face before kicking it away. "Fair enough. You?"

I landed a solid punch in the stomach of one, knocking the wind out of him and then shoving a blade deep into his gut. "Fine!" We both went back to killing as normal, but unintentionally kind of stuck together for about another five minutes.

Suddenly, just as I had slit the throat of one of Sauron's creatures, I felt something heavy slam into my back, sending me flying forward onto my stomach. As I hit the ground, I accidentally bit the inside of my cheek hard, and tasted blood in my mouth a second later. I barely had time to roll out of the way as an Orc slammed his notched blade into the soft ground where my head had just been a second later. Now laying on my side, I kicked at his legs to try and knock him over. It worked, and he fell with a shriek, but obviously he wasn't dead. I pounced on top of him, drawing a spare knife from my belt, and stabbed him repeatedly in the back until he was still. Hopping back to my feet, I picked up my two blades from where I'd dropped them in the grass, then charged forward and clashed weapons with an enemy twice before getting him in the side and sending him down.

"Kaia!" I spun around at the warning shout. Not a good idea. I instantly felt something cold and unfriendly pierce my arm, and cried out briefly as some bastard's dirty weapon nicked my left arm, getting blood to start dripping down my sleeve.

"Watch it, asshole!" I shouted, taking a swipe at him. I missed, and since I was left-handed, it sent fire up my arm when I moved it, but I just let the pain fuel me with energy as I advanced on him. He was a lot more muscular than the others, with a thick metal helmet and chest plate. I tried to stab through it, but that didn't work. Then the Orc swung ferociously at my head, so I ducked and kicked his legs out from under him. He stumbled, and I shoved him onto his back, raising my blade to stab him in the face. Just as I was about to hit him, he somehow blocked it and literally bucked me off of him, sending me flying through the air over his head a few feet and landing painfully on the ground again. "Goddammit!" I swore, getting back on my feet just in time to block another blow from him. I slipped past him and spun around, swinging my swords and hoping to hit him in the side, but he dodged that too. I quickly shoved my other blade up as he moved to the side, impaling his shoulder completely, but the little man whore didn't go down. I gripped my one remaining blade (as I couldn't remove the other one from his shoulder) and ran right at him with a loud battle cry, catching him off-guard and bringing the flat of my blade down on his skull with a _crack_, knocking him out completely before stabbing him in the face for good measure.

I looked around, slowly turning to see what was going on. We'd won, killing all the Orcs that had attacked us, and it didn't look like we'd lost anyone on our side. I mean, obviously some people had been injured, but...

As if on cue, the burning pain in my left arm flared up again, and I winced. _Oh yeah. Better get that checked out. God, where's Aragorn? _I finally dislodged my one katana from the Orc's shoulder, wiping them both off on my cleaning cloth I had for them before sliding them back in their sheaths. When I looked up again, I noticed Éomer and Éowyn standing not far off, the latter looking like she was pretty pissed off at her brother for something. I walked over to them, interrupting their little debate for a second. "Hey, you guys know where Aragorn is?" Éomer pointed to the right, so I nodded in thanks before slipping off.

About thirty seconds later, Gimli suddenly popped up at my side. "Ah, there you are, lass! I was wonderin' where you'd gotten off to."

I smiled. "Hey, Gimli. You holding up okay?"

He snorted indignantly. "It takes more than a rabble of mindless Orcs to tire this dwarf out, Kaia."

"Of course. How could I not have known that?" I asked sarcastically. He just shook his head.

At that moment, I heard someone frantically shout my name. "Kaia!"

"What?" I shouted back, looking up from the dwarf. I instantly spotted Legolas running towards me, with Aragorn right on his heels. I smiled a bit at their arrival, but it disappeared when I saw that Aragorn was carrying someone in his arms. "What happened?"

Aragorn didn't answer, he just shot me a worried look and laid the person down on the ground for me to see. My jaw dropped in horror when I saw who it was. "KATHRYN? WHAT THE HELL?" I dropped to the ground next to her instantly, fear jolting through me like an electric shock with every heartbeat. "WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?" Her right forearm looked terrible. It had been deeply cut, and blood from the wound was all over her dress and covering her hand. She had a large bump on her head, and was completely passed out. "What the fucking fuck happened?" I screeched, looking up at Aragorn.

"I do not know," he said. Legolas was already calling for someone to bring medical stuff. "We found her like this in the midst of the chaos only moments ago."

"She's not dead, is she?"

"No, she still has a pulse and is breathing. I assume that she was just hit on the head with something." I let out a breath of relief. _Thank God. I certainly don't need everyone to start dying around here. _"However, something must be done about this." He pointed to the cut on her arm just as some young blonde dude ran over to us and dropped a bag of healing supplies in Aragorn's lap. The ranger muttered his thanks before starting to work on her. He then looked up at me. "Kaia, go get some water and a clean cloth."

I nodded. "Got it." Without any further prompting, I turned and ran off, going as fast as I possibly could.

oOo

It took about another half hour, but eventually we got Kathryn cleaned up and properly bandaged. The bad part was that she woke up about halfway through it, and spent the next five minutes or so cursing and wincing in pain.

When it was all over, she was sitting on her makeshift bed that was up near one of the many campfires, right next to mine. Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli were also stationed near us, but the three guys were off doing...uhh, guy stuff, I guess. Anyway, it was just Kathryn and I sitting there, talking to each other.

"So...how's your arm?" I asked.

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "You know, that's gotta be the fifteenth time you've asked me that."

"Sorry," I said. "I don't know what else to talk about."

She nodded, then started a new conversation for me. "I wonder how Erin's doing. You know, over in Minas Tirith and all."

I sighed. "I know. I've been thinking about her, too. I hope we're not missing anything major over there."

"Watch, we probably are."

"Right?" I said. We both cracked a smile at that, then got serious again. "At least we know that we'll probably see her again soon. And you'll get to see Faramir," I said, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.

Kathryn squinted at me. "I regret ever telling you anything."

"And whose fault is that? Yours," I said.

"Oh, shut up," she shot back. "You're just jealous because you don't have anybody."

I rolled my eyes. "You know I don't like relationships."

Kathryn suddenly got a devious grin on her face. "You know what? I'm totally gonna start shipping you and Aragorn."

"WHAT?" I shrieked, drawing the attention of about half the camp for a moment. "No! No God please no! No!"

"Oh yeah, I can see it now," Kathryn said, laughing. "You and Aragorn are obviously just using that whole 'brother sister' thing as a cover up."

"Shut UP!"

"I'm gonna ship you two so hard. I'll start a fan base, and then get Erin to write a fic about you guys."

"Stop it! Oh my God!" I punched her in her good arm, but I was laughing too (while cringing internally, I might add). "You just ruined everything! I hate you!"

"Then my work is done," Kathryn said, her grin turning into a smirk.

"You're horrible. You're fucking horrible. Why am I friends with you?"

"You know you love me."

I smiled. "Yeah...I do. Not sure why, but I do."

We fell into silence for awhile until she spoke up again. "Kaia?"

"What?"

"The Game."

"FUCK YOU, YOU WHORE!"


	10. Aaaaaannnd Cue the Tears

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! :D Hope you guys are all doing well! Just an FYI before we get started: I'm not going to be updating Friday or Saturday of this week, because the real life Kathryn, Kaia and I are all going away to a 2-day christian music festival called Uprise. :) Have any of you ever been there before? This'll be our first times going, so hopefully it'll be fun! :D Now, on with the fic!**

To Whatever End: Chapter Ten

Kathryn's POV

"So what did you do to yourself this time?" Éomer teased as he nodded in the direction of my arm.

I frowned and rolled my eyes at him as we rode side by side on our horses, with Kaia sitting right behind me. "Believe it or not, this actually wasn't my fault. I realized we were being attacked, so I...uh, I tried to fight this one Orc, but...well, he won, obviously," I finished with a sheepish grin.

Kaia did a slow clap. "Bravo. Swordwoman of the year, right here."

I tried to glare at her over my shoulder, but it failed. "Hey! Shut it!" Kaia and Éomer both just laughed, and I did too, but it wasn't completely genuine. What I'd told both of them hadn't been the real story of the battle last night...I just couldn't bring myself to tell them what I really did. Instead of jumping right into the fight like everyone else, I'd completely panicked and hidden behind a huge rock that had been nearby. I had planned on just chilling there until it was all over, but eventually an Orc found me back there, and pounced on me in a split second. Of course, I had my sword on me, so I'd been able to fend him off for a little bit, but he ended up grabbing me by the wrist and cutting the huge gash that I now sported into my arm. I had screamed, freaked out even more, and in my distraction, the Orc pushed me backwards, making me fall on the rock I'd been hiding behind. I hit my head on it, passed out, and the rest is history.

I hated lying to people like that, but...I felt so ashamed and stupid. _I can't even defend myself for more than five minutes, tops. How am I ever gonna survive in the huge battle at Minas Tirith? _I continued to stare down at Hasufel's dark mane as we trotted along. _Why did I even come along, anyway? Oh yeah...that whole 'sticking together' thing. Well...I kind of already broke it by telling Gandalf that I wanted to go home...but I doubt that'll happen anytime soon at this point. And then Erin went off to Gondor, leaving Kaia and I behind. So...are we still supposed to keep that promise? _

I was suddenly jolted out of my thoughts when Kaia smacked me on the back. "Kathryn!"

"What?" I cried, jumping a bit.

"Did you not fucking hear me? I asked if you had a snack in your bag."

"Oh," I said. "Yeah, I do. Dig around in there and see what you can find." I twisted the leather sack around behind me from where it currently hung like a messenger bag across my torso, and a second later Kaia was going through it. "You're always hungry, aren't you?" I asked, smiling a bit.

"Pretty much," she replied. "You know I eat like a man."

I nodded. "I'm surprised you're not a hobbit." Both she and Éomer laughed at that, but my smile faded as I stared back out at the horizon, the black and red skies of Mordor now distinctly more visible than they'd been before.

oOo

Erin's POV

I was sitting on my bed Indian style, with my elbows resting on my thighs and my hands out in front of me, thinking. It was only me in the room, and I was eagerly taking this solitude as a chance to think. It wasn't very sunny outside today, but I didn't have any candles lit. For whatever reason, I seemed to be able to think better that way.

At the moment, I was thinking about Legolas. I hadn't seen him in forever, and...I missed him. I missed him terribly. Lately, I'd been getting more and more confused about him. Whenever he popped into my mind, it was like someone grabbed my brain and shook it, getting all my thoughts jumbled up in a mess. I didn't like it. And at this point...I honestly had no clue how I felt about him. _It can't be love. There's no way it's pure love. That's impossible._

_ Nothing is impossible, _another voice echoed in my mind. _Improbable, unlikely, but never impossible. _

As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that at least that statement was true. It was the quote that I practically lived by. I'd even printed it out and had it framed above my bed in my room back home. _Maybe not impossible...but not worth it. Elves and humans don't mix. It just can't happen. Thranduil will kill me if I ever even dare to set foot in his woods again. There's no chance that he'd let me fall in love with his only remaining son and heir._

_ And he doesn't even like me back, anyways. He said so. Both of us agreed that the kiss was nothing. _As I told myself that in my mind, my shoulders slumped. _Wait, why does that make me so sad? We don't love each other! It doesn't matter! But...it does at the same time. Why is this so friking complicated?! I didn't ask for this! I didn't want to go through all this drama! _

_ Did you really think that this journey would go smoothly, though? _another part of me replied.

I immediately knew that the answer was no. _Heck, it's Lord of the Rings we're talking about. Of course it'd be dramatic. But still! I didn't want there to be awkward emotional drama like this! ...Should I just...double check with him? Just to be positive that he only likes me as a friend? No, that sounds stupid. Then Legolas will figure out that I'm on the fence about it, which will make things even more weird...if that's even possible. He's smart. He'd know instantly._

Then I thought about what would happen once we met up again after the upcoming battle. _Hopefully we'll just say hi to each other and go back to normal stuff. Maybe give hugs. Yeah, that would be nice. I like his hugs. _I frowned a bit as I realized I hadn't had one in a very long time. _...I miss his hugs. I miss Legolas, period._

I internally smacked myself. _Stop it, Erin! You sound like some idiotic lovesick schoolgirl! What's gotten into you? You've got more important things to focus on than an elf prince who's making you question your emotions. ...Darn you, Legolas, for making me question my emotions. You're dumb. I hate you. No, jk, I can't hate you. You're too nice...and awesome...and sweet..._

_ NO. STOP IT. _I groaned and flopped back onto my bed, covering my face with my hands. "Is it too much to ask that things be simple and easy around here from now on?"

I laid there for awhile longer until I got bored of being by myself again. I got up, left the room, and started aimlessly walking through the halls of Minas Tirith's citadel, singing softly to myself as I went. "You tear me down, and then you pick me up...You take it all, and still it's not enough...You try and tell me you can heal me, but I'm still bleeding...and you'll be the death of me!" In the middle of one hallway, I stopped for a second, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then burst into a wild headbanging and air guitar frenzy as I sang the guitar part out loud. Seven seconds later, I stopped, straightened out my hair again, and kept on walking like nothing had happened. That was probably the one materialistic thing I missed from Earth; my music. My favorite bands. _I would KILL to have RED show up here for a concert right now._

I kept on wandering around, now switching to a song by Thousand Foot Krutch called "All I Need to Know" to sing. "You could read a million pages, know the words and all the phrases...you could try and turn a lie into the truth." I spread out my arms in the empty hallway and did a couple spins as I moved along, a smile on my face as my voice got louder. "And you can live to be a hundred, memorizin' every number...You could even put a man on the moon." As I sang the next line, it suddenly hit me that it was very fitting to my situation right now. "And the science of the heart is sometimes lost on me..." I paused for a moment, then went on. "...But I'm following this feeling!"

"You are a lovely singer," a familiar voice said rather loudly.

I gasped and spun around, instantly shutting up. "Mother of God, Faramir! How do you sneak up on people like that?"

He laughed and walked up to me from where he'd been standing at the end of the hall. "You do not have to stop, you know."

I laughed a bit nervously and looked down. "Nah, I'm good. I don't like singing alone in front of others...so I'm sorry if I made your ears bleed."

"My ears are free of any blood, Erin." We both smiled, and I followed him as he started walking down the hallway again.

"Where ya going?" I asked innocently.

He sighed. "To see my father. He wishes to discuss the recent events of Osgiliath's fall with me."

I tensed a bit at this statement. _Oh crap...this is where Denethor sends him on a suicide mission! Fricking frick! I almost forgot about this part! _"...Well, I wish you good luck," I said. We stopped once we arrived at one of the side doors. Faramir nodded to me in thanks. He turned to step inside, but I stopped him. "Wait!" The ranger turned to look at me, and I stumbled with my words. "...You...No matter what he says in there...don't take it to heart," I said softly. Though he gave me an odd look, Faramir nodded anyway before stepping inside. Once the door banged shut, I turned and ran as fast as I could to the main citadel doors outside, knowing that he'd be coming out of there when it was all over. I at least wanted to be able to say goodbye to him before he got shot and all.

As soon as I reached the double doors, I casually leaned up against them, quickly letting the guards know that I was waiting for Faramir to come out. Thankfully, the rooms weren't soundproof, so I could listen in on the entire thing.

I heard Pippin in the middle of his speech. "...peace or war. In living or dying. F...From..." The hobbit struggled to remember the words for a second. "From this hour henceforth...until my lord releases me...or death take me."

"And I shall not forget it," the steward responded once he was finished. "Nor fail to reward that which is given." I mentally envisioned the scene that always pulled at my heartstrings, seeing Denethor walk over to his fancy table in my head. "Fealty with love. Valor with honor. Disloyalty..." I sneered as he paused to pointedly glare at Faramir. "...with vengeance."

Suddenly, something clicked in my head. _Wait...vengeance means...revenge...Oh my word..._I read between the lines, horrified at what I'd just realized. _He already knew that Faramir would get shot and almost die in this mission! He seriously is purposely killing his son as an act of revenge! _I shuddered. _And to think, thousands of people are ruled by this madman..._

It was silent inside until Denethor spoke up again, now to Faramir. "I do not think we should so lightly abandon the outer defenses. Defenses that your brother long held intact."

"What would you have me do?" he asked.

"I will not yield the river and Pelennor unfought! Osgiliath must be retaken!"

"My lord, Osgiliath is overrun," his son replied. _Le duh._

"Much must be risked in war." I clenched my fists. _It makes so much sense now. Every word he says...I understand it. Vengeance. Is that all that he's after? Revenge for losing the Ring? He's worse than Gollum. _Denethor interrupted my train of thought again. "Is there a captain here who still has the courage to do his lord's will?"

Again, there was a pause. When Faramir spoke next, my heart nearly shattered. He sounded on the verge of tears, which I knew he was. "...You wish now that our places had been exchanged. That I had died and Boromir had lived."

His father didn't hesitate long to answer, and it was a whispered response that I barely heard. "Yes...I wish that."

_Why did you say that? Why the heck did you say that? _"...Since you were robbed of Boromir...I will do what I can in his stead." That was all Faramir said, and at that point I knew the conversation was over. I couldn't relax, though. The mood was just too upsetting now.

Just as the doors started to open, I heard a voice ring loudly in my mind. _You cannot let him go, Erin! You must save him?_

Faramir walked out, moving right past me without so much as a not, and I frowned. The voice was distinctly female...Now that I thought about it, I realized that it was the same voice I'd heard in my head when Haldir died. _What? _I said back. _What am I supposed to do? Faramir's gonna be fine!_

But the voice sounded deadly serious. _It was only by mere chance that the son of Denethor survived the poisoned arrows. That chance will not come again. _

_ WHAT?! _I shrieked internally. _What's that supposed to mean? Hello? _But the voice was gone. I snapped my head up and looked at Faramir's retreating form, slowly striding past the White Tree. Then something else clicked inside my mind. _The tree...That's why I was called here. To help Faramir. _Now I knew that was true. I felt it deep in my heart. The reason I was here was because of Faramir. I had to save him somehow. _But...I can't! How am I supposed to- _

The idea popped into my head at that moment. It was a stupid idea, I knew. I would be sacrificing everything if I went through with it, and for a second, I hesitated. _No...I...I can't do that. _Then I thought of Kathryn. How heartbroken would she be if she arrived at Minas Tirith, only to find the man she loved dead?

"Faramir!" I shouted, breaking into a run. "Faramir!" He stopped walking and spun around to face me as I sprinted up to him. "Faramir, you can't go! You can't do this!"

He frowned. "How did you-"

"I heard everything," I said openly. "Now listen to me. You can't go out to Osgiliath again, Faramir. You'll die. You know that."

At this, his face hardened. "Where does my allegiance lie if not here?" He turned to go, but I stopped him with two simple words.

"With Kathryn."

Faramir instantly stopped and turned around again. "...What?"

"You can't throw away your life like this," I said solemnly, staring up at him. "It's pointless. Even if you think your father doesn't love you...Kathryn does. You have something worth living for, Faramir. And besides...you promised me you wouldn't let her go."

He was silent for a long while, thinking. "But...I must go. I am the captain of these men now. They've got to have someone to lead them."

"Then pass the task on to your second in command," I said immediately.

"But...who would take my place?"

oOo

September twenty-ninth.

...My last day in Middle-Earth.

I exhaled for the billionth time as I did one last check of the armor I was wearing to make sure it was on securely. Not like it would prove useful. I'd never make it to Osgiliath anyway. I reached over to my bed and picked up the smooth Gondorian helmet, staring at my reflection in the metal for a moment before sliding it onto my head, making sure my recently cut hair was tucked inside of it. I'd had to pull a Mulan and get it cut back to my shoulders again to help camouflage me. It was a bit big, but that actually worked in my favor this time. The sides of the helmet stretched out and covered the majority of my cheeks, and the nose piece completely concealed my nose as well. If you looked at my face, you could still tell I was a girl, but that didn't matter. I'd just have to keep my head down as we exited the city.

It had taken a lot of convincing on my part for Faramir to step down and let me replace him to keep the ranks even, but when I kept pushing the idea of leaving Kathryn behind on him, he'd caved and finally agreed to let me go (though not willingly, of course). At first, I had been able to at least accept the idea that I was going to die today, but...now, as I started down the hallway, fully clad from head to toe in armor and carrying my beloved elven sword, the depression started to sink in fully. _I'm dying today. I'm going to die today. _I just couldn't quite wrap my mind around that. I would be leaving Middle-Earth for good...and this time, I wasn't gonna magically wake up anywhere else.

As I slowly made my way down to the stables where my faithful Frania was, I continued to think depressing thoughts. _Nobody knows except for Faramir. No one. He was the only person I said goodbye to...not Gandalf and Pippin...not Kaia and Kathryn...not Aragorn, Gimli, __É__owyn, __É__omer...Legolas..._

I sighed. _I wish I could've at least seen him one last time. Awkward drama or not, he's still one of the closest friends I've ever had. We've gone through so much together...I still can't believe it's been two years. And now that's about to abruptly end. _I mounted Frania and trotted out with the first of the soldiers that were headed for Osgiliath. No one said anything, so I didn't have to worry about talking to a guy and giving myself away. I just stared down at Frania's mane, still deep in thought. _And he doesn't even know. None of them do. They all still think I'm having the time of my life over here in the White City. _

Obviously this wasn't something I was doing willingly. I didn't want to die. I wasn't afraid of death, but I certainly didn't want to leave Middle-Earth and all the fun that came with it behind forever. I had friends here. Good friends, some better than any I'd ever had back on Earth. I'd gone on the best adventure of my life, and the two coolest girls I knew had been lucky enough to get dragged into it with me. No...I wasn't ready to leave. Not at all. But if this was what my fate was meant to be, then... I sighed again. I just had to deal with it. My only comfort through all of this was that through my own sacrifice, I was ensuring Kaia and Kathryn's safety. _Hm. I guess Saruman really hadn't been lying._

Our group of soldiers was now slowly proceeding through the streets of Minas Tirith's first level in rows of three and four, trotting past dozens of women, men who weren't soldiers, and even children, all who looked upon us with tears in their eyes. Everyone knew this was the end, but no one could do a thing about it. Denethor had made the order, and they were all bound to obey. And I had Faramir to look out for, so I couldn't go anywhere. Several of the women handed flowers to their husbands and loved ones who were riding to their doom. I didn't feel jealous at not getting a goodbye from anyone, though. In all honesty, I don't think I could've handled it if someone I loved handed flowers to me as a farewell.

Now we'd approached the main gate, which was slowly opened to reveal the black outline of Mordor almost completely blotting out the otherwise blue sky. Osgiliath was just a greyish white strip at the bottom of it, far ahead of us, on the other side of the brown, grassy plains. As we all filed out, I took my place on the front lines, gulping nervously as we spread out into two long lines and started forward. I didn't know who it was that was leading the troops in place of Faramir, I was just listening for the cue to move into the next position. In the midst of my final moments, I remembered the beautiful song that Pippin sang to Denethor at this time, and decided that I should at least go out doing what I love, whether it brought me any comfort or not. Despite the loud rumbling of the horses' hooves, I still managed to sing to myself, knowing that my dear hobbit friend was singing along with me, way up on the seventh level.

"Home is behind...the world ahead...and there are many paths to tread." I glanced at the soldiers on either side of me, wishing them the best of luck, even though I knew it was pointless. "...And there are many paths to tread. Through shadow..." I heard the command to draw swords and move into position being shouted, and obeyed. "...To the edge of night..." The ringing of the swords belonging to the men around me accompanied my singing. "Until the stars are all alight." I steered Frania to the right, keeping up with the smaller band of about ten men that I'd been assigned to. "Mist and shadow...cloud and shade..." Tears pricked my eyes, and my voice finally wavered as I cried through the last two lines. "Hope shall fade...hope...shall..."

A second later, pain shot through my body, and time seemed to slow down. I could hear my pulse in my hears. I watched my sword slip from my fingers and clatter to the ground, useless.

I did not finish the song.


	11. Brief But Emotional

To Whatever End: Chapter Eleven

Kaia's POV

I gripped Kathryn's shoulders tightly as we rounded the last of the sharp turns that were a part of the zigzagging path that led up mountainside. I still didn't trust a horse enough to keep me from falling off.

Obviously, my death grip didn't go unnoticed. "Jesus, Kaia! You're practically cutting off the blood flow to my arms!" Kathryn call out over her shoulder.

"Sorry!" I said. "You know I don't trust this damn animal!" At that moment, Kathryn's horse (whose name I couldn't even remember) whinnied and flicked his head, almost like he'd understood the insult.

"Don't talk about him like that!" Kathryn scolded me. "He has feelings, too!"

I just shook my head and rolled my eyes as our company followed Théoden through the campsite. The majority of the warriors we'd brought with us were still trailing behind me, but somehow there were like, tons of other men up here that had already beaten us here. We were at Dunharrow, I knew, which was pretty much a flat, sleek grey mountain that reached up impossibly high into the sky. Right smack in the middle of this mountain, there was a huge cliff, and the flat top of said cliff was where we were staying. As we rode around, I looked at Aragorn, who was on our right. "How long are we gonna be here?"

He glanced over at the king momentarily, then spoke to me in hushed tones. "I believe King Théoden plans for us to remain here for three days, but I do not think we should wait that long. I'm going to try and persuade him to leave tomorrow at dawn."

I gaped at him. "T-Tomorrow? But we just got here!"

"Think of it this way," he said. "The sooner we leave for Minas Tirith, the sooner we will be reunited with Gandalf, Pippin, and Erin again."

He had a point there. "...Okay," I sighed, finally giving in. "Good luck, then." Aragorn nodded and turned forward again as we continued riding. I glanced around as random men of Rohan shouted information up at their king.

"Make way for the King! Make way, the King is here!"

"My lord!" Théoden lifted a hand in greeting.

"Hail to you, sire!"

"Grimbold, how many?" the leader of the horse lords yelled to a taller, older man.

"I bring five hundred men from the Westfold, my lord!" he replied.

Another soldier piped up. "We have three hundred more from Fenmarch, Théoden King."

"Where are the riders of Snowbourn?"

"None have come, my lord!"

When we finally stopped our procession and dismounted, Kathryn started eying up everyone around us. "Dang! How many Riders of Rohan are there in the world?"

"Thousands," Éomer replied with a hint of pride in his voice, "though many of them are not present."

"But we'll still have a big enough army to win the battle, right?"

Éomer shrugged a bit. "My uncle will have a full head count within an hour or so. Then we will know." He led Firefoot and left Kathryn and I to ourselves.

I turned to her as she started unhooking our bags from her horse. "You do remember how the battle turns out, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "Why?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "...Well...it ends well, right? As in, all the main characters make it out alive?"

To my shock, my dark-haired friend shook her head, which made me tense. "No."

"No?" I echoed, internally cringing as my voice shot up an octave. "What do you mean, 'no?' Who dies?"

"I don't remember, actually," she said, now looking at me curiously. "Is something wrong, Kaia? You seem nervous."

I quickly shook my head. _She can't know. _"No, I'm fine," I lied through my teeth. "I just...I'm concerned. That's all." Before she could say anything else, I spun around and walked off, heading over to the edge of the cliff where Aragorn and Théoden stood. My jaw dropped slightly when I looked down. The ground far below was dotted with bright white tents that stuck out against the green and brown earth, and there were _tons _of them. It was insane! _It's like Creation...only in Middle-Earth. Cool._

I looked back up as Théoden spoke. "Six thousand spears...less than half of what I'd hoped for," he said dejectedly.

"Six thousand will not be enough to break the lines of Mordor," Aragorn said. This did nothing to help my anxiety.

"What?" I squeaked. "You mean we're guaranteed to fail?"

It bothered me that neither of them answered my question. "More will come," the king said, a bit more confidently now.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God." The blonde man turned to leave, but Aragorn stopped him.

"Every hour lost hastens Gondor's defeat. We have until dawn. Then we must ride." Théoden just stared at him with an expression that Erin would describe as "Yeah...yeah, that's cute" before walking away.

Aragorn exhaled as he left, and I could tell he felt like he hadn't gotten his point across. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. If he doesn't understand what's going on...it's his loss."

"No...it's more than that," he said, looking over at me sadly. "Kaia, the entire kingdom of men is at stake. If we cannot find enough soldiers to defeat the armies of Mordor, all of Rohan will be slaughtered. If Rohan fails, then Gondor will have no allies left to aid them, and they will fall. They need our help...but we're outnumbered." He finished kinda quietly, almost as if he was losing hope. The two of us stood there for a moment before he walked away, leaving me all alone by the cliff's edge, the severity of the situation finally sinking in.

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I gripped Hasufel's reins tighter as he whinnied fearfully and stamped his hooves, trying to drag him over to where he'd be kept for our time here. "God, Hasufel! What are you so freaked out about? There's nothing here! It's just a mountain!"

"Have you not heard the stories?"

I looked away from where I'd been struggling with my horse and spotted Éomer nearby, taking the saddle off of Firefoot, who had already been penned up. Even his horse looked skittish. "Stories?" I asked as we managed to get Hasufel calmed down and into a holding area next to Firefoot together. "What stories?"

"The stories of the mountain," he said, with a pointed glance over to the rock formation only a few yards away from us. That's when I noticed that it wasn't just all solid rock. There was a pathway in the center of it, a narrow and creepy-looking one with several gnarled, twisted, dead trees arching around and over top of it. Other junk that I couldn't (and didn't want to) identify was embedded into the stone around it like a...a door frame, almost. "Many tales have said that this mountain is not safe...that is is haunted."

I blinked. "Haunted? You mean like...by ghosts?" Éomer merely nodded. I continued to stare at the pathway leading into the mountain, a bit freaked out. _What in the name of hell are we doing camping out next to a haunted mountain? Whose idea was this?!_

Just then, Legolas and Gimli walked up to us, the former surveying the scene around him. "The horses are restless, and the men are quiet."

"They grow nervous under the shadow of the mountain," Éomer replied.

It fell silent for a moment, until Gimli nodded in the direction of the pathway. "That road there...where does that lead?"

"It is the road to the Dimholt; the door under the mountain," Legolas said quietly.

"None who venture there ever return." My dirty-blonde Rohirric friend cast another wary glance at the supposedly haunted pathway. "...That mountain is evil."

I shuddered and finally looked away, glaring at all three of them. "Don't worry guys, it's cool. Not like I needed to sleep tonight or anything." They chuckled a bit, but it didn't do much to ease the tension in the air. "Besides...it could all be just some stupid ghost story. After all, if there's no survivors, then there's nobody who's ever really seen it before." Gimli wandered off at that point.

Legolas looked at me. "No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" He also left, leaving me still incredibly spooked.

I glared at his back again. "Would you cut that out?" I yelled after him. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, walking off in the opposite direction.

oOo

Later that evening, I found Kaia sitting alone by a dying campfire, staring blankly into the flickering flames. I plopped down next to her. "Hey Kaia! What's up?"  
"Hey," she said, not even looking over at me.

I frowned a bit. "You okay? Why are you over here all by yourself?"

"No reason," she said casually.

I deadpanned. "Kaia, come on. I can tell you're stressed about something. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kathryn. Don't bother me about it."

"But Kaia, you're my best friend! You can tell me if it's-"

"Kathryn!" she snapped at me suddenly, shooting a heated glare at me. I blinked, hurt at her tone. It was quiet for a second before Kaia closed her eyes and sighed, ripping up some grass and tossing it into the fire. "I'm sorry, I just...I need to think." Without letting me respond, she quickly got to her feet and stalked off, leaving a very confused and slightly offended me behind. _What's going on with her? Did I do something wrong?_

After unsuccessfully trying to come up with an answer for about a minute, I also got up and walked away, looking for a certain Ranger who might know why Kaia was so upset. I found him fairly quickly, sitting inside the tent he shared with Legolas and Gimli on his bed. "Aragorn!"

He jumped a bit and looked over at me. "Hello Kathryn," he said. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah, I need to know why my best friend is acting weird," I replied as I stepped in, letting the canvas flap fall shut behind me. "Do you know why Kaia's freaking out?"

Aragorn shook his head. "I know nothing more than you do. I have noticed that she is not herself lately, though."

"I know," I said, "and I'm worried about her. What if she's in danger? What if something's gone horribly wrong and she'd just afraid to tell someone about it?"

"I do not think that Kaia would hide things from either of us if they were of such importance," he said. "Kaia has her reasons, I would assume. And it could be something that isn't major at all. Perhaps she's just nervous about the battle ahead."

I thought about that. "Understandable, I guess. But...I don't know. Something's just not right."

Aragorn smiled a tiny bit. "Do not push the issue. Wait for Kaia to tell you on her own."

That didn't satisfy me at all. "Okay," I said, making to leave the tent again. "Thanks Aragorn." With that, I slipped outside, more determined than ever to find out what was wrong. _If Kaia is keeping secrets from me, that's one thing. But if she's keeping secrets from me AND Aragorn, that's a problem. What's going on that's got her so stressed out? It might even be something I could help her with if she'd just tell me! And even if it's not, I could at least give her advice or something. That's what friends do. _Now fully convinced that I was doing the right thing, I asked around until I found Kaia again, about ten or fifteen minutes later. This time she was in a much more secluded area, way out on the corner of the campsite, leaning up against the side of the mountain and staring down at her feet. "Kaia!" She instantly tensed and straightened up, looking at me. This time I'd decided to go with a more direct approach. "Okay, look. It's obvious that something's on your mind. I can tell. Why haven't you talked to anyone about it?"

Kaia exhaled. "Kathryn, it's really not that big of a deal-"

"It is if it's making you this stresses out!" I said. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"You don't need to know," she said bluntly.

I stared at her for a second. "I don't? Really? Even if it might concern my best friend's safety?"

"It's not...well, I.." Kaia let out a frustrated groan. "Kathryn, I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it. I can't."

"Yes you can! Kaia, you can tell me anything. You know that! We're best friends! If you don't want word to get out, I won't ever say anything to anyone else, but please at least tell me."

"Kathryn, _no_."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

"Don't say that! You can! You have to tell somebody! You can't keep things hidden forever!"

Kaia clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "Kathryn, stop," she ground out. "Stay out of this." She brushed past me, starting to walk away again.

"Kaia, no!" I cried. "Please! I can help you, Kaia! If you-"

"NO!" she suddenly shouted, whirling around to face me. "No, you really can't! Do you think I like keeping stuff from people like this? I wish I could tell you, Kathryn, I really wish I could! But I can't!"

"But...I don't get it! Why can't you tell me?"

"Because if I did, then you wouldn't be able to handle it! You'd try to change things to prevent it from happening! And you can't do that! I'm here for a reason, Kathryn, I have a task to fulfill! I don't need you sticking your nose into it and trying to help me! I don't need anyone's help! I couldn't take it even if I wanted to!" She stared at me for a long time, seething.

I stared back, trying to figure out what in the world she was talking about. "What task? Why are you so convinced that you don't need help? Do you think you're too good for that or something?"

Kaia clenched her fists even tighter, and I instantly regretted opening my mouth. "You don't know a damn thing about what's going on, Kathryn, so shut up. I don't need your help, got it? Just leave me the fuck alone!" She shouted the last part at me rather loudly before turning and storming off again.

I just stood there, shocked. _She just...Oh God, what have I done? _It didn't take long before tears blurred my vision, and I just sunk down to the ground right there and cried, hugging myself. _I just drove my best friend away. I pissed her off to the point where she doesn't even want me around her anymore. Why did I say that? Why didn't I just listen to Aragorn? _I shivered in the cool fall night air, mentally repeating one thing over and over again in my head. _I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I don't even have a purpose here. I want to go home._


	12. Way to be a Team, Guys

**A/N: Sorry about the short chapter last time guys. D: I promised Kathryn that I would update, so I did. XD Even if it was short...it was something. I personally think I could've written it better...but I'm just gonna move on. You guys seemed satisfied enough with it. XD **

**A quick response to legolaslover101 before we begin: Really? Wow, that's so weird! XD We're long-lost twins, I guess! Lol! Oh, and it would actually be super-awesome if you reviewed books 1 through 3, too. XD I'll still see your review if you put one there. I don't want to announce my real age on here publicly...the best you'll get is that I'm still in school. XD Sorry! And I don't think there are any Legolas-centered fics with a girl named Erin in them, either.**

**Enjoy this chapter! (Wow, are we seriously already almost to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields? :O)**

To Whatever End: Chapter Twelve

Kaia's POV

"No...Aragorn, no!" I shot upright in my bed, breathing heavily, heartbeat going a mile a minute. I'd just had a nightmare about my favorite ranger getting attacked and dying at the hands of what had seemed like an army of ghost-people...but that was stupid. There weren't ghosts in Middle-Earth. I shook my head and sighed. "I need to stop eating leftovers right before I go to bed."

Normally I would've just shaken it off and gone back to sleep, but...something didn't seem right. I suddenly felt the urge to get up and go check on Aragorn, just to make sure he was okay, so I did. I tossed my blankets aside (being careful not to wake Kathryn) and slipped out, arriving at the mens' tent within thirty seconds. It was right across from Théoden's, so it wasn't hard to find or anything.

I stuck my head inside the flap. It was the middle of a cold September night, so obviously it was pretty dark. "Aragorn?" I hissed. "Aragorn! You in here?"

Someone else stirred from farther back in the tent, and it was Legolas who responded a second later. "Kaia? Is that you?" I heard Gimli snore loudly.

"Yeah," I whispered back. "Sorry. Where's Aragorn?"

"He is not here?"

I frowned. "Wait, what? I thought he was supposed to be in here sleeping."

"So did I." I tensed. _Oh God...please tell me my nightmare didn't mean anything. PLEASE tell me he's okay. _

I swore quietly to myself, then spoke to Legolas again. "I'm gonna go look for him. Something doesn't seem right." I then stepped back, leaving their tent completely, and started asking around for where the ranger had disappeared to. At first people kept telling me that he'd gone into the king's tent, but when I peeked inside, there wasn't a single person in there. Eventually one of the younger soldiers said he'd seen him by the horses, so I made my way over there next.

Just as I was about to step out from behind a tent and into the area where the animals were kept, a figure with light blonde hair and a brown dress with white sleeves flew past me. I realized it was Éowyn, and was about to follow her out into the open until I heard her speak, panic making her voice crack slightly. "Why are you doing this? The war lies to the east, you cannot leave on the eve of battle! You cannot abandon the men." My eyes widened. _The fuck? Who's this that's leaving?_

I couldn't have been more freaked out when Aragorn was the one who answered her. "Éowyn..." _Oh, HELL no! He's not leaving! He can't leave!_ _Not on his own!_

"We need you here!" she pleaded.

"Why have you come?" Aragorn asked bluntly.

There was silence for awhile, until Éowyn finally spoke up again. "...Do you not know?" My brow creased in confusion. _What does she mean? She came-_

My thoughts were cut off when the ranger replied, speaking softly, almost sounding sorrowful. "It is but a shadow and a thought that you love." _WHAT?! _"I cannot give you what you seek." _Hang on...__É__owyn loves him? When the hell did that happen? _Éowyn didn't answer. "...I have wished you joy since I first saw you," he whispered to her. Again, nothing.

Finally, she bolted past me again, quickly wiping tears from her face as she rushed off. I felt horrible for her. After all, she'd just gotten basically smacked in the face with rejection. That was never easy to deal with. A couple seconds later, I walked around the corner of the tent and over to Aragorn. "So...I hear you're planning on leaving by yourself?"

He nodded as he tightened the straps on Brego. "Yes, Kaia. I must go alone."

I laughed. "Ha! That's funny. Give me like, five minutes to get my stuff, okay?" I spun on my heel and turned to go, but he stopped me.

"No, Kaia. You cannot come with me."

I shot him a look. "Seriously? Aragorn, don't be an idiot. Of course I'm coming with you. Why would I let you go riding off by yourself? I'm here to protect you. That's what little sisters are for," I said with a small smile, punching him lightly in the arm.

He laughed a bit. "I see. And you intended to leave without saying goodbye to anyone else?"

"You're leaving now?" It was only then that I noticed he'd put his traveling clothes back on, weapons and all.

Aragorn nodded. "And I do not think it would be the best idea for you to come with me, anyway."  
"Why?" I asked. "Where are you going?" He pointed to the mountain behind us...the same one that I'd been hearing creepy rumors and ghost stories about all day. "...Oh. Well...it's just a mountain, Aragorn. I'll be fine."

He looked at me for a long time. "...You are positive?"

"Yes."

"Definitely sure?"

"Yeah."

"...Absolutely certain?"

"Aragorn!" I groaned, but was smiling anyway. We both laughed.

"All right, all right, you may come," he said. I grinned. "Hurry up and go get your things."

"Got it." I ran off, heading straight back to mine and Kathryn's tent. _I guess he couldn't convince Th__é__oden to leave here early...but then, why is Aragorn leaving now? I didn't think we were supposed to go into the mountain to get to Gondor. Whatever. I'll follow him wherever he goes. _Then I smirked to myself. _He'll never be rid of me._

"Kaia!"

The shout came suddenly, so I was caught off-guard and jumped before stopping mid-stride and turning completely around, almost crashing right into Legolas as I did so. "Oh God! Sorry!"

"It is fine," he said calmly. "Where are you going?"

"Uhhh..." I debated whether or not I should tell him about my plans with Aragorn. _Well...he is Aragorn's best friend. He does kinda deserve to know. _I glanced around, then quietly told him "Aragorn and I are leaving."

"What?" he asked immediately. "Where are you going?"

"Into the mountain," I replied. This only confused the elf even more. "To be honest, even I don't know why he wants to go in there. He didn't tell me, and I didn't ask. But I'm not letting him go riding off into a potentially haunted mountain place on his own, so I'm going with him."

"As am I."

I shot him a look. _Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have said anything! _"Legolas, no. I don't think Aragorn's gonna want a whole caravan of people following him."

"That does not matter," he said quickly. "I promised Erin that I would look after you and Kathryn, and I intend to keep that promise. She will come as well."

Now that absolutely couldn't happen. "Okay, now you're pushing it. Kathryn at least has to stay behind!"

Legolas looked at me like I was insane. "And you expect her to be able to do perfectly well when fighting in battle within a week?"

"Kathryn's not fighting. She's going back to Edoras with Éowyn."

He scoffed. "Do you honestly believe that?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Now he looked at me seriously. "Kaia, think about it. What other reason would she have for coming along with us in the first place?"

I just stared at him. "You know as well as I do that Kathryn is scared shitless of battle. She'd never go for it."

Legolas matched my stare for several seconds before exhaling and finally looking away. "If you truly do believe that..."

"I do."

"...Fine. She will stay."

"Damn right she will," I said. "Besides, she wouldn't want to take another step closer to that mountain anyway." Pause. "So...are you coming with us?"

"Yes."

"I guess that means Gimli's gonna be a part of this, too?"

"Most likely."

"Cool," I said with a nod. "We're leaving in a couple minutes. Get your stuff, and then meet us over by the horses, okay?" He returned the nod, and then we both went our own separate ways.

I worked my way over to the small tent that Kathryn and I shared quickly, being careful not to make a lot of noise and wake her up once I got there. It went pretty well...until I tripped over the corner of her mattress-thing in the dark. I fell flat on my face and slammed into the ground, my arms flailing and knocking over a bunch of random cooking stuff with a loud clatter. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" I swore, cringing as I rubbed my bruised face.

"Kaia?" _Shit. _I sighed when I heard Kathryn rustling around on her bed. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know...the usual," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Just tripping over your bed like I always do."

There was silence, then more rustling, and a second later, warm light from a candle in a tray filled the tent, illuminating both my body (which was still sprawled across the ground) and her sleep-ridden face. She looked me over as I sat up, then frowned. "Why aren't you wearing your pajamas?"

I winced. "Yeah...about that...I'm leaving," I said bluntly. No point in trying to dodge it now.

Her eyes widened. "Leaving? What? Why?"

"I'm going with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli," I explained quietly. "We're going into the mountain...but I don't know why."

Kathryn looked absolutely crushed. Not that I could blame her. It was silent for the longest time, until she finally whispered two words, shattering it. "...I'm sorry."

I blinked. "What?"

"I'm sorry," she said again, louder this time. "For being so nosy. I should've just kept my mouth shut instead of bugging you for secrets."

I sighed again, looking at her sincerely. "I'm sorry, too. Even though you were being nosy...I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You were just doing it because you cared." Again, it was quiet.

Finally, Kathryn set the candle down, leaned over, and hugged me hard. "I'll miss you. You'd better come back alive, you hear me?"

"I will," I said. It crossed my mind that the three of us had just completely failed at keeping our promise to stick with each other. "I swear."

"...And what am I supposed to do until you come back?"

"Go with Éowyn," I said. "She'll keep you safe."

Kathryn finally let me go, but now she looked nervous. "Well...I can't."

"Why not?"

"Éowyn wants to fight. She's gonna sneak out with the others and go to war."

"And you weren't gonna go with her?"

My best friend hesitated again. "...No...yes...maybe...Oh, I don't know!" she finally cried, exasperated. "I mean, I want to go and help, but...I don't want to be the one of us three that dies. _If _one of us dies, that is."

I bit my lip. "Don't worry about that, Kathryn. You'll be okay." When she didn't answer, I placed a hand on her shoulder to make her look at me. Dark eyes met darker ones as I spoke. "Kathryn, you need to go to war. You're a part of this just as much as anyone else. Rohan will need you before this is all over. Someone will need you." She looked skeptical. "We need all the help we can get in this fight, Kathryn. Please. Go to battle. Do it for me."

"I...I'll try," she said after a moment.

I smiled a bit and hugged her again before standing up. "Good." I grabbed my bag of personal stuff and strode over to the door. "See ya, Sparkle," I said over my shoulder with a grin.

She grinned back. "See ya, Vinyl. Be careful!"

Not wanting to waste any more time, I waved at her quickly before slipping out, kind of shocked at how emotional I felt. For a second, I was close to tears, but that feeling quickly washed away as I approached Aragorn, who was leading his horse over to the entrance of the mountain's pathway, and stepped up beside him. "I can ride with you, right?"

He nodded, and was about to say something else when a gruff voice from beside us spoke up. "And just where do you think you're off to?"

I smiled a bit at the dwarf, but Aragorn shook his head. "Not this time. This time you must stay, Gimli."

"Hmmm," Gimli muttered, leaning back a bit and shooting a slight glare at the ranger.

At that moment, Legolas walked up with Arod's reins in his hands. "Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of dwarves?" he said with a small smile.

"You might as well accept it," Gimli said. "We're going with you, laddie."

Aragorn looked at them both curiously, confused as to how they'd learned that he was leaving. Then he shot me a small glare, to which I grinned sheepishly. "Oh, come on! Do you really think you could've left them behind anyway?"

The future king of Gondor finally sighed and rolled his eyes. "...Very well."

I beamed as he mounted his horse and climbed on behind him. Legolas and Gimli were also soon on top of their white steed, and with that, we were off. The four of us rode straight forward, not saying a word as we trotted past the soldiers who were still up, all with looks of confusion and fear on their faces. Several of them whispered to themselves, and some even called out to us.

"What's happening?"

"Where are they going?"

"I don't understand!"

Still, we continued to ride on, not slowing down, even as we finally reached the entrance cut out of the stone. "Lord Aragorn!" someone shouted. I stared straight past Aragorn's head, into the blackness beyond as the eerie grey mists swirled up and swallowed the four of us whole. _Here goes nothing._

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I sat there in my bed for what seemed like hours, unable to fall asleep. Now that Kaia had left, along with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, I felt more alone than ever. I mean, I had Éomer and Éowyn, but they were both going off into battle in a few days. And even after Kaia had talked to me, I still didn't know if I wanted to go with them or not. Her voice bounced around in my head as I stared down at my sword, which was laid across my lap. _"Rohan will need you before the end. We need all the help we can get. Please, Kathryn. Do it for me."_

I sighed. "I want to, but...I don't at the same time." Could I even sneak out? I didn't even have any armor to wear! There's no way I could ride to war without any armor on! That was it, then. I wasn't going. But...something in my gut told me that I needed to be there. I couldn't quite put my finger on why, though. It bothered me. _I'm just a peasant girl here. I'm not skilled in battle like Erin and Kaia, so why me? Why would I be needed in war if I can't even defend myself against a single Orc? _I glanced down at my arm. It was almost fully healed now. _But that doesn't matter. I'll probably die if I fight, anyway. I've got no chance._

And then it hit me. _Wait...is that my purpose here? To die in battle? _I thought about that. _...It makes sense, I guess. After all, I am the weakest one out of our trio. If anyone wasn't to survive this war, it...it would be me. _That scared me, to be truthful. It just freaked me out.

_But would you have it any other way? _another part of me asked. _Would you rather have Erin or Kaia take your place in the sea of lost lives from the battle ahead?_

_ No, _I thought immediately. _No, I...I guess I wouldn't. _Another pang of sadness hit me when I realized that this meant I wouldn't ever be able to see Faramir again. _God, I miss him. _Then I thought about how ironic that was. _That was the whole reason I ever came to this godforsaken mountain, anyway. To ride to Minas Tirith and see Faramir. And now I'm riding to Minas Tirith for a completely different reason...to die. To die fighting to protect those I love and take Sauron down. _

I looked down at my sword again. I'd hardly ever used the thing. _...If that is my fate, then...I guess that's what's gotta be done._ I picked it up off of my lap and set it next to my bed, throwing my blankets aside and getting up to go find Éowyn. After all, if I'm going to battle, I'm gonna need some armor...and a really big, manly helmet.


	13. Woah, She's Alive!

**EDIT: I've discovered that it's Irolas, not Prince Imrahil, who is in Gondor during the fight. The armies of Dol Amroth only appear in the books, apparently. :) Sorry for the mistake, but I've fixed it now.**

**A/N: Hi all! Dude, I'm so sorry that I didn't update this weekend...but I really didn't feel in a writing mood until today. XD And also because I was having an awesome time on Saturday celebrating HOBBIT DAY! :D :D :D Did you guys know about the unofficial LotR holiday? It's on September 22nd, and I spent my Hobbit day having a movie marathon with the trilogy, eating all 8 hobbit meals, and baking some lembas bread. Yes, I actually found a recipe for lembas bread. XD It was great!**

**Before we begin, I just wanted to give you guys a heads-up: I'm gonna be slightly changing the timeline of RotK around a bit. Nothing major, I'm just switching the order in which certain scenes happen so that you're not following Kaia and Kathryn around alone for another chapter and a half. XD Uhh...yeah. If anything seems out of order...it is. Lol.**

**On with the fic! **

To Whatever End: Chapter Thirteen

Faramir's POV

"Faramir! Faramir, come quickly!"

I looked up from the book I'd been reading while sitting on a bench in a quiet hallway at the sound of a rather frantic voice. A moment later, young Pippin Took came running around the corner and right towards me, eyes wide with fear. "What is it?" I asked, standing. "What's wrong?"

"They...they..." he panted, struggling to catch his breath. "...the guards...they found...Erin..."

Now it was my turn to look fearful. "Erin! She's alive!"

At this, Pippin winced and looked up at me in despair, and I froze. "No..." he whispered. "Not alive...well, I don't know. Come on!" He took off down the hallway again, and I needed no further prompting to follow him. The two of us quickly made our way through the citadel, dodging anyone or anything that happened to get in our way. The halfling led me outside, straight through the main entrance, and a second later I spotted a few men gathered around a canvas stretcher that had been laid on the ground, just underneath the White Tree.

"No!" I shouted, breaking into a sprint as I ran over. My heart clenched when I stopped and stared down at the small body on the ground. It was undoubtedly Erin, her brown hair a tangled, wild mess, her eyes closed. Her brow was slightly furrowed, making it look like she was in discomfort. Her skin was incredibly pale, and her helmet was gone as well. The breastplate that covered her torso was splattered here and there with dried, rust-colored blood, and I shuddered to think that some of it might not have been her own. A single black feathered Orc arrow jutted out crudely from just below her ribcage on the right, and more blood surrounded the shaft of it. The rest of her armor was now dull and scratched, and one of her shoulder guards had completely fallen off. She also had a scrape on her forehead that was scabbing over, but what scared me the most was that she did not appear to be breathing. I dropped to my knees beside her, horrified. "Oh, Erin...No..." I looked up to one of the men around me, who just happened to be Irolas, an officer of Gondor. He was a highly respected man in Minas Tirith, and had agreed to aid me in the upcoming battle if necessary. "What news of the mission?" I asked urgently.

"They were outnumbered," he replied solemnly. "None survived."

I turned to look at Erin again, absolutely torn. _She cannot be dead...she must not be! What will Kathryn say? She will hate me forever for ever letting Erin go in my place! _Suddenly, a new thought popped into my mind. _And who was truly responsible for this? My father. My father is the reason Erin is dead. _Anger boiled inside of me as I rose and quickly stepped away a few paces. _If not for him, she would be alive right now. If not for him, none of this would have happened! _I clenched my fists and jaw. _He will pay for this. I swear by Eru himself, he will pay for what he has done!_

Then I stopped, blinking. _...No...What am I saying? I cannot speak of my own father in such a way. _I took a moment to calm down, now several feet away from the others. _Anger and despair is what led to Father losing his hold on reality. I will not follow in his footsteps._

All of a sudden, I heard Pippin shout from behind me. "She's not dead!" I whirled around instantly and saw the halfling bent over her, as I had been, but not with the same look of defeat on his face. He looked hopeful. "Faramir! Faramir, come here! She's alive!"

He certainly did not have to tell me twice. I went back over to where Erin lay, and saw that Pippin had a hand on her forehead. He lifted it so I could touch her myself, and I did so. "She's hot," I said immediately. For a moment, I was confused, but then I checked the base of her neck for a pulse...and, to my great relief, found one. I looked at Pippin, spirits raised. "Yes, she is indeed alive!" He grinned, but I turned back to the young woman. "Alive, but not well." Then something clicked in my mind, and I glared down at the arrow. "She suffers from Orc poison."

Irolas placed a hand on my shoulder. "We will send for healers immediately."

"No!" I commanded sharply. "We have no time to wait on them. Send for Mithrandir instead. I will take Erin back to her room and do what I can in the meantime." Even as I spoke, I had already picked her up gently from the stretcher and began walking briskly back into the citadel.

"Is she going to die?" I glanced down to see Pippin keeping pace with me, looking worried again.

I exhaled as the double doors opened for us. "I certainly hope not."

oOo

Kaia's POV

I've never been afraid of supernatural things, so the journey into the mountain itself wasn't too bad at first. It honestly didn't even look that haunted at all. We rode right through the clear night and into a cloudless day, with the sun shining high in the sky and creating a comfortably warm temperature for mid-September. The landscape around us wasn't all that pretty or inviting, though. It was literally a barren canyon that was the color of ash, with almost perfectly vertical walls on both sides of us. Not much plant life was around here, either, except for a few random pine trees and moss here and there, along with the occasional dead or dying bush. Again, I really didn't think it was bad at all, but apparently Gimli disagreed with me.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" he asked. I glanced over my shoulder from where I sat on top of Brego behind Aragorn. He was glancing around warily, like he expected something to jump out at any moment.

"I thought you'd like being back in the mountains, Gimli," I teased. The dwarf only glared at me for a second before getting paranoid again.

Legolas then proceeded to answer his question. "The army that is cursed is they who dwell in the mountain."

I looked back at him for a moment, frowning. "Army? What army?"

The elf met my gaze. "Do you not know the story?" I shook my head, and he started to fill me in. "Long ago, the men of the mountain swore an oath to the last king of Gondor: to come to his aid; to fight. But when the time came...When Gondor's need was dire...they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain."

"Traitors," I mumbled.

"And so Isildur cursed them," he went on, "never to rest...until they had fulfilled their pledge."

"So...we're going after an army of the people who betrayed Gondor in the past?" I asked incredulously. "Great. Why do I feel like this is gonna fail horribly?" Then I thought more about what the elven prince had said. "...Wait...what do you mean 'never to rest?' You meant like...unsettled consciences, right?"

Legolas shook his head. "No, Kaia," he said lowly. "They are no longer men."

_Ghosts, _I realized instantly. _But...what? Aragorn never said anything about ghosts. _And then I remembered the nightmare I'd had a couple nights ago...the one about Aragorn getting killed. By an army of ghosts. I tensed as Legolas spoke up again, now reciting what sounded like an old prophecy of some sort.

"'Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people?" His voice had an eerie tone to it.

Now I looked left and right, suddenly more on edge than before. "Legolas, cut it out."

He either didn't hear me, or just ignored me. "The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the north he shall come. Need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead."

"Okay seriously, stop," I said. "Now you're just making shit up." I twisted around in my seat to glare at him, but the elf just stared back seriously. I swallowed when I realized he hadn't been joking.

A minute later, Aragorn suddenly steered Brego onto a path that branched off to the right, though I wished he hadn't. Almost instantly, the environment changed completely. It went from being bright and sunny to dark, cloudy, and ominous. The only signs of life here were four or five dead, scraggly trees with dark bark to match the dark vibe they gave off. We dismounted our horses and walked down the rest of the dirt path, and as we rounded the final bend, I shuddered. Right smack in the middle of the mountainside, there was a roughly cut rectangular doorway, with skulls embedded into the stone around it. Human skulls.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away!" Gimli whispered.

"Nice decorations," I muttered sarcastically. No one laughed.

The mood was tense as we slowly stopped walking one we were only a few feet in front of the door. A bunch of weird symbols were carved into the top of the door frame that reminded me of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Legolas translated them aloud for us. "The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut."

I was just about to ask him how the hell he could read those symbols, when the creepiest thing I'd experienced yet in Middle-Earth happened. A large blast of wind came out from inside the blackness past the doorway, and with it, a moan. A very ghostly, human-sounding moan. I jumped as the horses whinnied loudly and reared back, successfully tearing free of my hold on their reins. They instantly turned and ran off, booking it out of there. Not that I could blame them. I just stared at the cave's entrance in fear.

"Brego!" Aragorn yelled, but it was no use. The horses were gone. We were on our own now. Ever the brave one of the group, the ranger turned defiantly towards the mouth of the creepy passageway and stared into the blackness determinedly. "I do not fear death!" With that, he strode confidently forward, the darkness quickly swallowing him whole.

I stared after him for a moment, hesitating. _Are we seriously going in there? Like...seriously? _Legolas answered that question for me by following Aragorn inside. I watched as the last of his cloak disappeared before taking a step forward, still freaked out. I took another step, then sighed and walked through the doorway also, wanting so badly to turn and run, but refusing to. _Why do I feel like we're making a huge mistake?_

oOo

Kathryn's POV

Three days after Kaia, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas left us, the whole camp was in a frenzy. It was only about six in the morning, but already people were tearing down tents and putting out fires, getting ready to take off for Gondor. We were to leave in a few minutes, and I was freaking out as Éowyn tightened the straps that held the chest armor onto me. "This isn't gonna work. Someone's gonna find us out!" I cried, glancing back and forth even as we stood inside the last standing armory tent.

"Kathryn, please!" she shushed me. "We will be fine! Just do not speak to anyone once we ride off, lest they discover we are women and send us back to Edoras."

She let me go, and I turned to face my best friend. She was already fully dressed in armor, complete with a helmet that almost entirely covered her face. I certainly wouldn't have been able to tell she was a woman unless I looked really closely. I reached over to the table next to me and picked up my own helmet, made of metal that was colored dark brown that also covered both my cheeks and nose that was rimmed with gold around the edges. "...You're positive we'll be okay?" I asked as I slipped it on.

Éowyn rolled her eyes. "Now you're just being paranoid. Calm down!"

I sighed as I made sure the helmet was on securely and my short, dark hair was safely tucked inside of it. "Okay. I'll try." She smiled a bit at this reassuringly, but it didn't help all that much. I was still flipping tables on the inside.

"Thank you," she said before picking up both of our swords, handing me my own, and then started to leave the tent. "Hurry! They're leaving now!"

I strapped my sword to the leather belt around my waist. "Alright. Let's go." The two of us stepped out into the bright daylight, and my heart was pounding in my ears. I don't know why I was so afraid that we'd get caught...I just was. We casually made our way through the campsite to where our two horses were kept. I relaxed the tiniest bit as I approached Hasufel and gently set a hand on his neck. "Hey, boy. You ready to go?" He neighed softly in response, recognizing my voice. Then I looked back at Éowyn. "Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?" I asked quietly. "We could die, you know!"

"Yes, I know," she replied, "but I would much rather die defending those I love than just idly sit back and watch."

I mentally groaned. I was hoping maybe she'd finally come to her senses at the last second, but that was confirmed as a negative as she mounted her own dark brown steed. I stayed on the ground for a moment longer, stalling. _Why am I doing this? I really don't want to do this. But...I do. But I also don't. _

All of a sudden, the familiar sound of horses galloping across the hard ground filled the air, and I looked up from where I'd been staring at Hasufel's mane blankly to see hundreds of the Rohirrim thundering past, with Théoden and Éomer at the head of the pack. The younger blonde was shouting at the top of his lungs to us all as they rode past. "Form up, move out! Move out!"

"Kathryn! Come on!" Éowyn hissed at me urgently.

I sighed and unwillingly swung myself up into my horse's saddle, kicking him into action as us two females fell right into the group, soon galloping alongside the others. "Oh, what the hell. No turning back now."

oOo

Faramir's POV

I tossed the last of the bloodied cloths into the waste basket and wiped a few stray hairs out of Erin's face from where she lay on her bed. I had just finished removing the arrow and cleaning all her wounds as best as I could. There was no more blood on her anywhere, but she still had not awoken from her sleep. Her temperature from earlier had completely disappeared, but she still lay there, unmoving, her breathing deep and slow. I did not know what to make of it.

At that moment, the door burst open, and I looked up to see Gandalf and Pippin come rushing into the room, with Irolas just behind them. The wizard immediately came to Erin's bedside, looking up at me for information. "She seems to almost be unconscious," I said. "I have tried everything I can think of to wake her up, but still she is unresponsive."

"She's not dead, is she?" Pippin asked fearfully.

"No," Gandalf replied. "No, Erin is alive...though even I cannot tell what ails her at first glance." He looked down to where the arrow had impaled her side, which had now been wrapped in bandages after her armor had been removed (though I had still left her normal traveling clothes on, of course). Then the Istari set his staff up against the wall, drew up a stool next to her head for him to sit on, and proceeded to spread out his fingers and place his hand first over her heart, closing his eyes. He muttered something I could not understand, frowned, then moved his hand to place it over the arrow wound. A few seconds later, he finally moved his hand up so that it was gently pressed against her forehead, remaining here the longest. No one made a sound as he sat there, immersed in whatever he was doing.

Finally, he removed his hand, sat up straight, and opened his eyes. "The poison has not affected her too deeply, though it was enough to put her into this deep sleep," he informed us. "Her subconscious must fight off the shadow on its own before she will wake."

"How long will that take?" Pippin spoke up again.

"I do not know," Gandalf replied, "but we have not the time to sit and fuss over her now. Faramir," he said, turning to me urgently, "the armies of Mordor are approaching quickly. You must prepare your men for battle at once."

I tensed. In the midst of trying to heal Erin, I had completely forgotten about the impending battle. "No...Already?" He nodded. I looked down for a moment, thinking, then quickly stood up and strode over to Irolas. "Gather your division of men down on the first level. Have them spread out along the front wall, ready to fight." He nodded and immediately ran off to do as instructed. Then I turned to Mithrandir. "I must go prepare myself to fight. We will line the first wall with three rows of men, have several more stationed at the gate, and then send others to man the catapults scattered throughout the city." The wise wizard nodded and also left the room in a rush to start gathering Minas Tirith's troops. I made to follow him, but was stopped by the voice of the halfling.

"And what am I to do...uh, Captain?"

I turned and smiled fondly down at him. "Do not worry about battle, Master Took. If you would not mind, I ask that you remain here and keep watch over Erin for when she wakes."

He seemed pleased at the idea of not having to fight. "I can do that."

"Good. Very good. I trust that you will treat her well," I nodded. "Now, if you will excuse me..." Pippin returned the nod, and I left the room to return to my own chambers so that I could put on my armor and be ready to face the enemy that was steadily approaching.

**A/N: I'm so excited for the next chapter...because we get to the Siege of Gondor! :D That's like, one of my favorite parts of Return of the King. Heck, that whole battle is the best one out of the entire trilogy. XD Are you guys looking forward to it? :D I hope so!**

**Next update will (hopefully) be Wednesday night! See you then! :)**

**~Erin**


	14. Skull Waterfalls (Eww)

**A/N: I'm back! :D And of course, I have another chapter for you to read! :3 Before I begin, I wanna reply to a guest interview here, so bear with me. :)**

**TheLadyElla: How could you forget Hobbit Day?! D: Lol, jk. Oh my word...NO WAY! I'm so incredibly jealous right now! You have a Lord of the Rings 3-day celebration at your school?! Why am I not going to that school! D: Oh gosh...I would DIE of happiness. XD Hahaha...Tolkienites unite! *brofist* XD Thanks for the compliments! And did I really turn you into a REDhead? :D WOOO! That's awesome! They're great, aren't they? :)**

**Oh, and to legolaslover101: Sorry, but I don't want to be a staff member of anything right now. ^^; Maybe in the future, but for now I want to give all my attention to this fanfic. **

**On with the fic!~**

To Whatever End: Chapter Fourteen

Kaia's POV

_I hate the dark._

_ I hate the dark._

_ I hate the dark._

That was just about the only thing that kept running through my mind as we wove our way through the mountain's tunnels. I'd seen one too many disturbing horror movies in my lifetime, so I'd developed a fear of never-ending blackness, which wasn't helped by the fact that my parents had always thought forcing me to walk around in the house at night with no lights on would help me overcome it.

Obviously it didn't, because the only thing keeping me from panicking was the fact that Aragorn was carrying a lit torch as he led us around, so I just kept my eyes trained on that lone flickering light and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. _Nothing's gonna come out and jump you. It's fine. Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli are right here with you. They'll keep you safe. You'll be fine, Kaia...you'll be fine. _I kept repeating stuff like that over and over again in my head as we pressed on. It was dead silent in the underground tunnels except for our soft footsteps and breathing.

The further down we went, the smaller the tunnels became, but it never got to the point where I started feeling claustrophobic or anything. That being said, it was still incredibly creepy. The stone paths were roughly and harshly carved away, making the walls and ceiling really jagged and sticking out in odd places. It was so stuffy down in there, you were almost inhaling pure dust. Aragorn stopped for a moment as we reached what appeared to be a dead end. I noticed that his sword was already drawn for whatever reason as he examined the area around us momentarily before noticing another doorway off to the right. He started walking into it, and I remained a step behind him, like always, confident that he was leading us the right way.

My stomach turned when the light of the torch revealed dozens...no, _hundreds _of skulls piled up waist-high in the room, completely blocking the pathway. Yes, skulls. Human skulls. "Oh, God..." I whispered, cringing. _Why did I ever come down here? _Then I remembered Aragorn. _Oh yeah._

The ranger stepped back immediately and walked off, and I followed him, not wanting to stick around in here longer than I had to. But Legolas remained by the doorway to the room of decaying skulls, staring into it almost curiously.

"What is it?" came Gimli's nervous whisper from behind the elf. "What do you see?" He dared to step closer another foot to his friend.

Legolas answered him softly. "I see shapes of men...and of horses." He kept walking, but was still looking around like it was surrounding him.

"Where?" Gimli asked, also becoming more wary.

But the prince didn't stop there. "Pale banners like shreds of cloud...spears rise...like winter thickets through a shroud of mist..."

"Okay, seriously Legolas," I said, my voice higher in pitch than normal. "Cut it out."

Suddenly, his eyes widened. "The dead are following." The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as he looked me right in the eye before quickening his pace a bit. "They have been summoned."

"Shut up!" I squeaked, now even jumpier than before. Aragorn paused for a moment, turned around, and gently laid a hand on my shoulder in comfort. I quickly pulled him into a hug, clinging to him light a scared little girl.

"You will be fine, Kaia," he whispered. "We all will." He let me go, and I felt so much more relaxed. _Thank God he's here, or I'd be a nervous wreck on the ground at this point._

Aragorn, Legolas and I all kept moving forward, but I heard Gimli stop behind us, not any calmer than I was. "The dead? _Summoned?_" Even his voice cracked a bit in fear. "...I knew that," I heard him say to no one in particular. He tried to laugh to himself, but it failed. "Very good, heh. Very good." Then the dwarf finally realized that he'd fallen behind. "Legolas!" he shouted, breaking into a panicked run to catch up with us.

I looked over my shoulder and smirked just the smallest bit as I saw him stumble around the bend, but then nearly jumped out of my skin and screamed a bit when I turned forward again. There were hands on Legolas. _Hands. _Hands made of mist. _Ghost hands. _Crawling up his damn body! He swatted them away and kept walking.

I then looked down at myself and clapped a hand over my mouth, muffling another scream as the thin, bony hands of green tinted smoke started crawling up my legs. I started shaking. They felt cold, even through the fabric of my clothes and the leather of my boots. "A-A-Aragorn!" I said, not moving a muscle. I was afraid to. "A-Aragorn!" I called out again, louder this time as I looked up at him with wide eyes. The hands were winding around my torso now.

The ranger was also eying some ghostly limbs of his own that were clawing at him, rising up out of the thick layer of mist that covered the ground. He walked over to me and swatted them away, grabbing my hand and pulling me away. "They will not harm you, Kaia. Calm down." I nodded and swallowed, but I was still creeped out.

Suddenly, I heard lots of huffing and puffing from behind me. I stopped walking and turned around for a minute to see Gimli unsuccessfully trying to blow and fan the wispy hands away from him as the materialized out of thin air. In any other situation, it would've been hilarious, but not now. I quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him along with me so that we wouldn't lose him again. "Come on, Gimli."

Aragorn took another step forward, but this time there was a _crunch _from underneath his boot. He glanced at his feet for a split second, closed his eyes and lifted his gaze, then looked back to us. Even he looked freaked out at this point. "...Do not look down." Another _crack_ as Gimli and I moved forward a bit. I felt something get crushed underneath my feet, and of course, I had to completely ignore Aragorn and look down. Once again, it took all I had not to scream.

_Bones. We're stepping on rotten human skulls. _Again, my stomach churned as I thought about how I was walking across the heads of what had once been normal, living, breathing people. _Ohhhhhh shit, _I thought mentally as I shuddered and snapped my head up, now wishing I hadn't been so damn curious. _Ohhhhh shitcakes. Fucking mother of hell._

Gimli let out a barely audible "Oh..." from where he stood beside me, and I realized that he'd seen what we were walking on as well. I looked to Legolas, who still somehow managed to keep a calm look on his face, though even I could tell he was struggling to not flip out, too. Slowly, the four of us started walking across the skull-covered floor, though I cringed and had to swallow bile with every step. _This is so nasty. Oh my God, this is gross. Who the hell thought this was a good idea? Oh fuck __fuck shit dammit shit hell shit fuuuuuuck. Fuck my life. Fuck. My. Life._

Gimli's steps were at first slow and calm, but eventually the dwarf couldn't handle it and broke into a weird run, letting out short gasps of fear as he almost hopped like a rabbit to the end of the room. I then followed his lead and walked faster, just to end the horror of it all that much sooner. When my feet finally touched solid ground again instead of decayed bones, I leaned forward, rested my hands on my knees, and sighed. "Oh God...this is terrible." As Aragorn came up beside me, I looked at him desperately. "Please tell me that's the worst of it." He just looked away and went on. _Oh, come on!_ Legolas also passed me by, shooting a look of sympathy my way. I certainly didn't want to get left behind like Gimli, so I started walking again as we moved along faster, now at a slight jog.

After a minute or so, we rounded one last bend before emerging into the biggest room we'd encountered so far. It reached up dozens of feet above our heads before it hit the ceiling, which I could barely see in the low light anyways. The room was wide open and really spacious, but as soon as we stepped inside it, we could feel that something wasn't right...like there was something else in there with us. _We're not alone, _I thought as I looked around nervously. On one wall of the room, there was sort of a building cut cleanly into it. Directly across from that, there was a sudden drop off in the ground, creating a giant pit that took up almost half of the floor of the whole room. Our little group scanned the area around us quickly, and I stared anxiously down into the pit nearby, which had a green, eerie smoke floating around down inside of it. _Why the hell is that here? Who even made all this in the first place?_

My question was answered as a loud, hissing voice sounded from seemingly everywhere and nowhere all at one. _"Who enters my domain?"_

All four of us spun around to face the giant staircase that led up to the entrance of the stone building, and my eyes widened when a ghost appeared out of thin air. He was almost completely transparent, made of the same green mist that had become a recurring staple in their décor here, I noticed. An aged golden crown sat on his head, and he had a few shreds of what had once been a scraggly beard dangling from his skeletal skin. His eyes were sunken back into their sockets, and I could see his ribcage clear as day. The only clothing he wore was a long-sleeved, faded red coat that was ragged and torn. His legs weren't really seen, as they faded away into nothing.

I stepped up next to Aragorn defensively, managing to glare at the dead king somehow as Aragorn confidently spoke to him. "One who will have your allegiance!"

_"The dead do not suffer the living to pass," _he rasped.

"You will suffer me!" the ranger replied. I instinctively placed a hand on the hilt of one of my black blades.

All of a sudden, the King of the Dead laughed a bitter, low cackle, and I cringed a bit as I watched his face sink in a bit. His laugh was answered by dozens of others from behind us, and I turned back towards the pit, again starting to freak out as a ghost city literally grew out of the walls and their citizens filed out as well, heading straight for us. Within a matter of seconds, we were surrounded.

"Aragorn..." I whispered fearfully, gripping his arm as my eyes darted back and forth amongst the dead people. I noticed that every one of them had weapons. _Can they still hurt you even if they're ghost weapons?_

_ "The way is shut." _We looked back to the King of the Dead again, and the tension grew as more and more ghosts appeared out of nowhere and closed in around us. _"It was made by those who are dead...and the dead keep it." _There must've been hundreds of them by now. My heart started to beat much faster. I instinctively backed up several steps until I was next to Legolas. At the same time, the ghosts' king started slowly walking towards us. _"The way is shut. Now you must die."_

_ Die? What the hell? No! _I smacked the elf's arm. "Do something!" I hissed. In a panic, he whipped out an arrow and shot it straight at the center of the dead king's forehead. It passed right through him, and he continued forward, unfazed. I swallowed thickly, feeling a sense of helplessness. _Oh shit...you can't kill them at all. Oh, shit!_

But Aragorn was still being persistent. "I summon you to fulfill your oath!"

"None but the King of Gondor may command me!" the ghost man retorted, striding forward faster now. Aragorn held up his own sword in response, but my muscles tensed as I saw a sword in the dead king's hand also. With a cry, he swung his see-through sword in a high arc, ready to decapitate Aragorn in one swift swing.

"No!" I cried, lunging forward with my blades already drawn. I stopped short, though, when the clash of metal against metal was heard, and we all stared at the two crisscrossing weapons in shock, surprised that they held up against each other. Aragorn forced them down.

"That blade was broken!" the King of the Dead spat in disbelief.

His response was to wrap his strong gloved hand around the king's neck and shove the blunt side of the sword up against it roughly. "It has been remade," he hissed. I blinked when I noticed that the sword Aragorn had now actually was different than the one he usually carried around. Where had I seen that before? It looked so familiar...especially the runes carved into the metal...

And then it hit me. "The Shards of Narsil!" I breathed. "The Sword of the King...he has it!" Countless times, I'd seen the shattered remains of that blade in Rivendell. Elrond had told me the story of how it had gotten that way a long time ago, back when I first arrived in Middle-Earth.

Now Aragorn shoved the dead king backwards, speaking with a tone of authority. "Fight for us...and regain your honor." He looked around the circle, meeting everyone's gaze. "What say you?" Even I couldn't have guessed what the undead were thinking. Literally...their faces showed no emotion. He walked right into the crowd, passing through them as he showed off his new toy. "What say you?" he asked again.

Gimli scoffed. "You waste your time, Aragorn! They had no honor in life; they have none now in death." He sneered at the ghosts who surrounded him.

Aragorn ignored the dwarf. "I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me...and I will hold your oaths fulfilled! What say you?" He now faced the King of the Dead again, who still stared at the man in wonder.

For a few long seconds, I thought maybe he'd consider the offer, but my pulse started racing again when he let out another evil cackle. The ghost army immediately started to fade away, disappearing as they echoed their king's mocking laugh. Aragorn was shouting at them, now sounding desperate. "You have my word! Fight, and I will release you from this living death! What say you?!"

"Stand, ya traitors!" Gimli bellowed. I for one was perfectly fine with them leaving. Less creepy shit I had to endure.

A second after the last of them disappeared, a mysterious wind started blowing around inside the cave. The four of us looked at each other, confused, when there was a sudden rumbling and cracking sound. Dirt and dust started falling from above, and I tensed, thinking they were gonna have the roof cave in. I looked at my feet out of fear, and that's why I was the first one to notice a pair of skulls roll across the ground, stopping at my feet. "Where did those come from?" I asked aloud. Three more rolled by after that, and I frowned. _What's going on?_

Suddenly, the cracking got incredibly louder from behind us, and we all turned, horrified as we watched complete sections of the stone building's wall cave in on themselves, crumbling and falling to the ground. But of course, that wasn't the horrible part. The horrible part was what came pouring out of those holes in the wall, like waterfalls from hell. Skulls. Thousands of them, rushing right towards us. I screamed.

"OUT!" Aragorn yelled.

None of us had to be told twice before we all started sprinting across the floor, trying to beat the rush. It didn't work. We were caught right in the worst of it, and the skulls slammed into me with such force that my legs buckled beneath me. I would've fallen and gotten swept right into the put, had Legolas not shot a hand out and grabbed my arm. I couldn't get back to my feet, so he had to drag me along as we literally started swimming through the bones of human heads to get away. I'll never forget the panic I felt in my chest as skulls cascaded over my head, the dirt from them getting inside my mouth as I screamed in fear, clinging to Legolas' arm like it was a lifeline.

"Legolas!" I heard Aragorn shout from ahead. _We're falling behind. _

"Come on, Kaia!" the elf shouted to me.

I tried to get back on my feet, I really did...but it was impossible. The amount of force behind those skull waterfalls...it was insane. It felt like a train was pushing you towards the pit. We just barely managed to duck into the tunnel leading out of the underground caverns before a large rock came crashing down behind us, which would've trapped us in there forever to be buried alive. I stumbled to my feet and practically flew out of those damned mountains once Legolas let me go.

We all burst forward into broad daylight, and I stopped short next to Aragorn, blinking rapidly to adjust. My breathing was heavy from all the running, and I tried desperately to catch my breath as I looked down. When I did, my eyes spotted something off in the distance that made my heart sink even more. A river, winding through the plains of flat grass. Several black ships, passing towns and small villages, leaving them burning to the ground as they passed them by. Aragorn dropped to his knees once he saw them, a look of utter sorrow and deep pain on his face. Legolas stepped up to comfort him, and I also walked over, totally lost. "What is that?" I asked.

"The Corsair ships of Umbar," the ranger answered. He sounded so guilty. "Sauron's secret fleet of ships that will attack Minas Tirith from the river. That's why we went into that cursed mountain in the first place...to get help. We'll never win now. We are outnumbered." He hung his head in shame.

My jaw dropped once I understood everything, and I also stared out at the black ships. _We...what? We failed? _Even Legolas couldn't keep an emotionless face at this news.

And then, just when we thought all hope was lost, there was a _whoosh _from behind us. I turned around, and there stood the King of the Dead, who'd just walked right out of the mountain and up to Aragorn, a smirk on his ugly face. _"We fight."_


	15. Let The Battle Begin

**A/N: Oh my gosh guys, please don't kill me. ;A; I'm so so so sorry that I didn't update at all this weekend! I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to get the siege of Gondor started (and I want it to be PERFECT, as it's my favorite battle in the whole trilogy :3). And then, right when I'd gotten things straightened out and was ready to write...BAM. Tons of homework and random studying I need to do for my classes that's due soon, as well as needing to finish up drawings for people that asked. D: I've been swamped! **

**Hopefully that won't happen again anytime soon. (Now that I say that, it probably will. -_-) And also...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BREAKING 100 REVIEWS ON THIS BOOK! :D :D :D I was so excited when I saw that! 333 I love you guys! You have no idea how awesome that is for me! As a reward, here's the next chapter. I expect the Battle of Minas Tirith/Pelennor Fields to take about three chapters...maybe three and a half. XD It's gonna be long...but awesome! :D Hope you enjoy!**

To Whatever End: Chapter Fifteen

Pippin's POV

I could hear the ferocious roars of the army, even from all the way up here on the seventh level of the city with Erin. She was still asleep. She hadn't moved so much as an inch since Faramir had left, and that was over two hours ago. I hadn't moved much either; only to pull a chair up to her bedside so I could sit and watch her. Even then, it was too big a seat for me. I stared down at my dangling feet, listening. All I could really focus on was the chants and drums of the Orcs from outside. I felt bad that I was just sitting up here in our room doing nothing, but I was just as afraid of the battle that was on Minas Tirith's doorstep. I felt smaller than ever in the midst of this big war...useless, even.

I sighed and glanced out the window, a sea of black and grey blotting out the color of the Pelennor's grassy field, wondering how we would ever come out of this on top.

oOo

Faramir's POV

My men and I were lined up in rows along the outer wall on the first level, beads of sweat on our brows as we stared out towards our impending doom. There were hundreds of thousands of Orcs, perhaps, and massive, muscular trolls being dragged along with them. The trolls were pushing tall, menacing towers of wood and metal, no doubt with more Orcs hiding inside. The enemies seemed endless. I didn't even know where to begin as far as defending the city. Never in all my life had I faced an army of this size.

We all stood there in silence, the deep pounding of the marching drums sending waves of fear through us with every beat. I looked around worriedly. Where was Gandalf? He and I had agreed to command the troops together, as I knew I could not take on such a task alone. He had said that he would meet us down here, but I had not seen him since I'd left Erin and Peregrin up in the citadel some time ago.

My thoughts momentarily flicked to the young woman, and my heart went out to her. I desperately hoped that she would be all right, and that she would be safe up there. I felt as if it was my unofficial duty to keep her safe despite all this chaos.

Suddenly, a younger soldier spoke up from where he stood beside me. "Captain Faramir?" I blinked and looked over at him. "Orders, sir? The men await your command."

_The men await your command. _I swallowed, unsure of what to say. _Oh, what I would give to __have Boromir here with me now. _"Ready the archers. Prepare to give them a volley once they are within range." The soldier nodded and relayed the information down the line to all the others. I also drew out my bow and a single arrow, but did not aim yet. The Orcs were still too far away. Again, we waited for the right moment, but the tension was almost too much to bear.

A moment later, there were shouts from the Orcs ahead, and soon enough large catapults built for the armies of the Dark Lord sprung up into the air, sending a shower of what looked like large grey rocks towards us. "Shields up!" someone shouted.

I lifted my own up high, covering my face to prevent one from hitting me dead on, and the rock hit the shield with a _thud_, then fell to the ground. I looked at my feet to see what they'd thrown at us up close, and my eyes went wide. _Severed heads. They're throwing heads at us. Heads of the men that died when we lost Osgiliath. _The fearful and disgusted cries of the men told me that they too had discovered what our enemies were hailing us with; our own people. I felt slightly nauseated as another hail of faces, some that I had known well before, hit us, helmets and all.

No sooner had we started to recover from that ordeal then the Orcs had started to hurl actual boulders at the White City, smashing them into walls and causing entire sections of them to crumble. Screams of women and children now pierced the air as the city was hit on some of the higher up levels.

"Captain!" I turned to the same man who had called for me earlier. "What do we do?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off by someone nearby screaming "Look out!" We lifted our gazes just in time to see chunks of white stone and dust cascading down onto some of the ranks nearby. I turned back to the soldier, at a loss for words. "I...I don't-"

Out of nowhere, a loud, booming voice echoed over the city, thousands of feet up in the air. "ABANDON YOUR POSTS! FLEE, FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!" My jaw dropped as I recognized the voice of my father...barely. He sounded like a deranged madman. What was he thinking? The men around me looked at each other for a moment in confusion, and then actually started to run away.

"NO!" I shouted, stopping them. "Do not run!" Some ignored my command and still fled, but many of them stopped to listen. "Would you rather die by running away like a coward or by defending this city with honor? This is no time to give into fear! Even if we are to die today, in the very spots which we stand..." I looked all those I could in the eye. "...I want those twisted beings out there to see strong men! Proud men! Men who are willing to fight until the end for their city! Men who are brave enough to face Sauron himself with courage in his heart! Men of Gondor!" I cried. I heard many shouts of determination echo from the crown of soldiers around me and smiled, about to turn back to the wall.

Then we all heard a new voice, along with the loud clattering of a horse's hooves against the stone streets. "RETURN TO YOUR POSTS! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Not two seconds later, the esteemed wizard came galloping up the stairs on Shadowfax, getting right up on the front lines with the rest of us. He looked down at me with a hatred for the armies before us that could've melted steel. "Send these foul beasts into the abyss!"

I nodded, grim determination setting into my face, and then faced the rest of the men. "Launch the catapults!" The order was quickly relayed down through the mass of soldiers, and within seconds the first one had thrown forth a chunk of our broken city at the enemy, crushing several Orcs on impact. More and more launched after that, and my hopes rose the slightest bit as I heard the faint squeals of pain from our opponents. For awhile, it went back and forth between the two armies, each of us hurling stone at each other. Despite the small dents we managed to put in their ranks at the front, several of our own men were taken down as well. I managed to avoid getting hit with anything, as did Gandalf. One of our projectiles even managed to slam directly into an Orc tower, causing it to almost completely collapse. At the start of things, it did not seem to be that bad. _Perhaps we have a chance against them._

Suddenly, and ear-shattering screech rang loud and clear in the air, and the men around me, myself included, cringed in both pain and fear as we recognized the horrifying noise instantly. "NAZGÛL!" someone shouted. My heart raced as I spotted the undead things, each mounted atop a Fell Beast of their own, swoop down and dive straight at the city from above. _We've got all nine of __them here. _Again, the heart-stopping screams that came from the Black Riders themselves, along with the guttural roars of their dragon-like steeds, drowned out all other noise caused by the war. It was horrible. Some of our soldiers were not even able to bear hearing them, falling to their knees and clutching at their ears to try and block out the sound. I shuddered, but refused to fall from them. _No. We must fight. _

"On your feet, men!" I shouted. "Stand, and fight for Minas Tirith!" Thankfully, that alone was enough to get most of our soldiers back on their feet. I dared to glance up at the levels above us, and instantly regretted it as I watched about a dozen soldiers get yanked right off of their positions on a wall by a Fell Beast's gnarled claws, only to be released in midair and fall all the way down from the third to first level, screaming the whole way. I winced, then turned my attention back to my current surroundings.

oOo

Pippin's POV

As soon as I heard the Black Riders arrive, I was even more scared then before. Now I had no desire whatsoever to go out there, despite the fact that even in the citadel I was no longer safe. I nearly jumped out of my skin when one of them flew right past our window and screamed a bit. I now frantically turned to Erin, who was still no responding to any of this. "Erin!" I shouted. "Erin, wake up! We're in danger! We're being attacked!" No matter what I did, she didn't budge. Finally, I gave up, and went back to sitting on my little chair, staring out at the surrounding chaos in terror.

oOo

Faramir's POV

"Hold them back! Do not give in to fear! Stand to your posts! FIGHT!" Gandalf shouted at the troops. I turned forward and saw the Orc's towers now dangerously close to running into the wall.

"The towers!" I cried, alerting the others. "The towers are too close! Prepare to fire arrows!" Within seconds, my men were facing the approaching enemy, steadily aiming sleek black bows. I lined up my own shot. "FIRE!" A volley was sent out to our opponents, and arrows were continuously shot down at them from then on. Another tower nearby was destroyed by our catapults just before it reached the outer wall.

"Not to the towers!" Gandalf shouted at the archers from directly behind me. "Aim for the trolls! Kill the trolls! Bring them down!" Several of them changed their targets and continued to fire constantly. The pained roars of the trolls could be heard as they slowed down, flinching from the arrows that were shot into their thick skin.

But it was not enough. A moment later, the first of the towers slammed into the wall right in front of us, and I stumbled back as a thick white haze of dust and rubble clouded the air. "SWORDS!" I barely had time to get the command out and switch weapons before the metal ramp on the tower came crashing down, Orcs pouring off of it faster than I could count. I immediately started going at them, clashing blades with the first one once before stabbing him in the ribs and sending him down. Many of the others in that area also started on the close combat, but some of our best archers still tried to shoot down as many Orcs as they could from their positions. I sliced another one across his stomach, my sword shining as it cut right through a weak spot in his armor. "BRING THEM DOWN, MEN!" I shouted, decapitating another one. White-hot fury burned inside of me as I killed one Orc after the other, and I cursed each and every one that I saw in my mind for ever setting their dirty feet into my city. _Kill them all. They must not take Minas Tirith by force!_

A roar sounded behind me, and I quickly spun around just in time to block a strike that would've cut deep into my back from another black monster. I quickly let out a battle cry and stabbed him in the neck, ripping my blade back out as he fell to the ground. Black blood dripped down the metal of both my weapon and my armor as I continued to fight, but I paid little mind to that. I had a city to save. There was another crash as a new tower was rammed up against the wall nearby, and I worked my way over to that area, slicing across the chest of one in a clean arc before turning and stabbing the next Orc so deep in the gut, that my blade popped out of his back.

"Captain Faramir!" a man shouted. I stopped and ducked out of the way just in time to let a volley of arrows from a slightly hidden group of archers shoot down a dozen Orcs just behind me. I nodded in thanks to them before jumping up and getting back into battle. Every battle tactic I'd ever learned came rushing back to me as I sliced, hacked, and cut my way through the servants of Mordor._ I will not fail. I will not fail. I will not fail. _I stabbed one in the shoulder, then the next directly in the heart. _I must save Minas Tirith...for Boromir. _Another Orc came up and managed to dent my shoulder guard with his own crooked weapon, but I quickly killed him with a stab in the chest before he could do anything else.

More roars and growling from behind. I turned and saw that down on the flat street of the first level, several Orcs were preparing to rush up all at once on a younger soldier who looked like he had little experience in battle. With a shout, I jumped off of the low wall and right into the mess, tackling one to the ground in the process. I speared him straight through the skull, stood up, and then slammed the hilt of the blade into the back of the next Orc's head. The next one to approach me got a deep gash in his neck, and the one following him was taken down when I spun halfway around and got him in the upper chest. I turned back the other way again and sliced one in the side, then did a complete spin around as I took out two at once by simply lashing out with my sword and hitting them both. So caught up was I in taking out this group, that I failed to notice one final Orc coming up behind me, a short but deadly axe raised over his head.

I head a cry from behind, and spun around to see the young man I'd just been defending impale and Orc directly through the stomach, saving my life. We looked at each other for a second before nodding and running off in opposite directions.

All of a sudden, I heard a loud _boom _ from off to my left, and glanced down in the midst of battle to see many Orcs gathered by the main gate, trying to break it down by repeatedly ramming a large wooden battering ram into it. They were unsuccessful so far, but I still thought it would be a good idea to send more help down there. "The gate! They're trying to break in through the gate!" Some of the soldiers nearby heard me and rushed off to help, and I quickly turned and took another Orc down before looking back out, my attention drawn to the battlefield from the chanting of Sauron's armies. I paled when I heard and saw what they were chanting about, and the single word pounded in my head multiple times as my eyes widened.

"GROND! GROND! GROND!"


	16. Awakening

To Whatever End: Chapter Sixteen

Kaia's POV

I stood firmly at Aragorn's side on the shoreline of the Anduin, arms crossed as I glared coldly at the approaching black corsair ships. The men on those ships, from what I could tell, were all the same: dirty, greasy, and cold-blooded. The air behind them was thick with smoke from the small villages and towns that they'd been destroying along the way, and it seemed to take forever before the ships actually got close enough that Aragorn could shout to them.

"You may go no further!" I saw one of the men stand up at the ranger's stern tone and scowl. "You will not enter Gondor."

And what did the pirates do? They laughed. I clenched my fists, wanting so badly to have Jesus powers...just for a minute, so I could walk over there and rip their faces off. "And who are you to deny us passage?" the same man replied from on board the ship.

Without turning his head, Aragorn spoke quietly to the archer of our group. "Legolas, fire a warning shot past the bosun's ear." The elf nodded and quickly fitted an arrow to his bow.

"Mind your aim!" Gimli whispered. I glanced down at the dwarf who stood on the other side of me and watched as he bumped Legolas' bow with the handle of his axe, just as the prince released his shot. The arrow flew through the air, and instead of harmlessly passing by the men on board the ship, it hit a random guy who'd been standing right next to the bosun, nailing him in the chest. He screamed in pain and fell down. I laughed openly as Gimli gasped in fake shock and covered his mouth, earning a glare from Legolas and Aragorn. "That's it, right! We warned you! Prepare to be boarded!"

To my surprise, the idiots on the ship laughed _again. _"Boarded? By you and whose army?"

Aragorn just smirked. "This army." Right on cue, our new ghost friends made themselves visible and floated right through us, passing over the water and swarming over the ships within seconds. The pirates cried out in fear as they were mercilessly attacked, and I watched with an odd satisfaction as they fell, one by one.

Once everything had fallen silent, the ghosts managed to stop the ships completely, looking at the four of us who were on shore expectantly. I looked around and the three men. "I don't know about you, but I feel like we should visit Minas Tirith right about now. You guys up for it?"

Gimli laughed, Legolas just rolled his eyes with a small smile, and Aragorn nodded to me. "Sounds like a plan."

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I plopped down next to Éowyn on the hard ground, exhaling loudly. "Oh my God...we've been riding for so long! How close are we to Gondor?"

Éowyn looked at me. "I do not know," she said, keeping her voice low so that she didn't blow our cover. "I believe we are on the border that separates Rohan and Gondor, but I am not certain."

"Where did you hear that?" I asked.

"I overheard my brother speaking to my uncle a few moments ago. He said that Minas Tirith has been completely surrounded and that the lower levels are in flames."

My eyes widened a bit. "What? Oh, crap! I hope we're not too late!" I looked around at the other men who were walking past us. Neither of us girls had taken our helmets or armor off for obvious reasons. Our Rohirric army had stopped for a short rest, and I for one was thankful. My legs and back were stiff from riding nonstop on Hasufel the past several days. It sucked. _And to think, I've still got a huge ass battle to go through after this. _I groaned internally. _I hate my life. _

I turned my focus back to Éowyn, who was now staring blankly at the outline of Mordor that could be seen on the horizon. I looked at it too, and shuddered a bit. The closest I'd ever been to that hellish place was Edoras, and now we were so close that I could make out the rough points of individual mountains. The red and black clouds that hung in the air there were freaky looking, and that wasn't even the worst of what was in there. "...It's so close," I said quietly.

Éowyn nodded. "Yes...Closer than I ever wanted it to be." There was silence for awhile, until I spoke again.

"Do you think it's even possible for us to win?"

She frowned a bit, but still kept her eyes locked on the land of shadow. "What? Why would you ever say that?"

I sighed. "I don't know...it just...It seems like we're just kinda throwing our lives away for nothing. There's no guarantee that we're gonna win. Heck, the odds are completely against us. And I don't even know if Kaia and Erin are still alive anymore...or Aragorn...or Legolas...or Gimli...or Faramir...or anybody." I paused for a moment. "It just seems like we don't belong here."

"Kathryn, you cannot think so negatively," Éowyn scolded me. "Do you not remember what I told you? I would rather die trying to protect my people than surrender to the Enemy."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "But...it just seems so pointless. I mean...you'll probably be okay, because you're actually comfortable and good with using a sword. You're a shieldmaiden of Rohan...the king's niece. You're bound to do great things somehow. But I'm not that important. I'm just some servant friend of yours who's scared of seeing a tiny bug five miles away and only just learned how to use a sword properly a couple months ago. And I know I can't save Middle-Earth, either. It's pointless." I know it sounded depressing, but...in all honesty, that was the cold, hard truth.

Apparently Éowyn wasn't having any of that, because she finally looked over at me with a serious look on her face. "Do you truly believe that?"

"...I don't know," I said. "I guess so."

"Kathryn, you must have hope." She turned slightly and placed a hand gently on my shoulder. "Maybe you're not the strongest, fastest, smartest, or bravest person in the world...but you don't need any of those things to be strong. You need courage. Hope. Faith in both yourself and those you care about." I looked up at her, and she smiled a bit. "You do have strength. You just have not yet seen it. When the time comes, you will prove yourself. I know you will."

I smiled back a bit, then looked away again. "I'm not really in this to make myself look awesome, though."

"Then why did you come?"

It was such a simple question, but I just couldn't seem to figure out the answer. _Why did I come? I still don't really know. _I thought about it for a long time before I answered her. "...My friends. More than anything, I wish I could see them again."

"Kathryn..." Éowyn said again. I looked back over to see her smiling wider now. "You are perhaps the most loyal woman I have ever met. You will get your wish. I will make sure of that."

I smiled again. "Thanks."

She nodded, and then both of us looked up at the sound of a horn being loudly blown from somewhere nearby. Instantly, soldiers started jumping up and remounting their horses around us, gathering their things and getting ready to move on. Éomer trotted right past us on Firefoot, making both of us freeze for a second. "Prepare to move out!" he shouted.

Théoden was not far behind. "Make haste! We ride through the night!"

They both moved on, and the two of us let out breaths of relief at not being found out. Éowyn shot me a look as she grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. "To battle."

I nodded, adjusting the straps on my helmet. "To battle."

oOo

Pippin's POV

I stood just inside the balcony of our room, staring out at the battle raging on far below fearfully. It was dark now, but there was fire everywhere down on the lower levels. I cringed as I saw another large flaming thing fly from a catapult and smash into something on the first level. For a moment, I glanced over my shoulder to see if Erin had stirred. She hadn't.

When I looked back outside, I frowned. There was someone...a man. A single man walking across the courtyard in front of the citadel, moving right past the White Tree. He was dressed in robes of deep grey and black, and he carried a single flaming torch, along with a large silver vase. I recognized him just as he disappeared from view. It was Denethor. But...where was he going? Especially at a time like this! He should've been commanding his people and helping fight for the city himself!

I didn't have time to think about it much more as a piercing scream cut through the air from down below. My attention turned back to the battle scene for just a moment before I retreated into the safety of our room again.

oOo

Faramir's POV

The metal pieces of my silver armor clinked together as I rushed down to the gate with several other soldiers from my division. I knew not just what exactly was waiting for us down there, but it couldn't be good. Shouts of confusion and fear filled the air as we drew nearer to the front gate of Minas Tirith, running down through the streets to shield ourselves from anything the Orcs might choose to throw at those up along the wall. There was a loud crash as I just barely avoided getting crushed by a large chunk of a pillar that fell down. "To the gate! Hurry!" someone shouted loudly from nearby. Day had faded into night by now, and I cringed as I saw a flaming boulder sail through the air and slam right into a building on the third level. It instantly crumbled and was lit aflame.

A few minutes later, we finally rounded the last corner and took our places amongst all the other men who were lined up by the gate, swords, bows, and spears drawn. I made my way up to the absolute front of the group. There was a horrible roar from some creature that wasn't an Orc from the other side of the entrance, and a moment later, a loud _bang_ as something rammed into the lone wooden barrier between us and the Enemy. The gate shuddered horribly, as did many of the men around me.

Gandalf was only two rows behind me, mounted atop Shadowfax. "Steady...steady!" Again the gate was hit hard. I gripped my spear tightly as the center of it splintered into pieces, revealing a glimpse of the monstrosity on the other side. It was the head of a great wolf, made entirely of metal, but the mouth was hollow and filled with blazing fire. The fear amongst us all increased tenfold.

I swallowed as Gandalf tried to motivate us again. "You are soldiers of Gondor! No matter what comes through that gate, you will stand your ground!"

"Prepare a volley," I said to the man next to me. "Quickly!" A moment later, the first two rows of men had arrows aimed forward, ready to kill.

Suddenly, the massive battering ram that was Grond, Hammer of the Underworld, slammed into the gate, again, this time forcing the locks to pop and have the doors swing open. Several vicious trolls, about the height of three or four men, and each with thick black armor covering almost all of them stormed in, heading straight for us. They carried large metal maces that were larger than my head.

"FIRE!" I shouted. A hail of arrows was sent onto them, and though many of them pierced flesh, it was only enough to slow them down a bit. The trolls roared in pain and fury as they charged us. "SWORDS!" I barely had time to get the command out and ready my own weapon before they were upon us. I sliced at them with almost all the strength I had, managing to kill one rather quickly. He toppled to the ground with a _thud, _and I turned to focus on taking down the next one. This troll seemed particularly muscular, and he was harder to kill than I anticipated. He swung his mace at me with a growl, and it came so fast that as I ducked, it hit the pointed tip of my helmet, knocking it clean off of my head. I jumped up in shock, nicking his hand as he tried to swing at me again. Several archers fired arrows into his back, but it was not enough. I managed to sidestep his next blow and cut a deep gash into his exposed side, just as Gandalf galloped by on his white horse and felled another one.

There were screeches from behind me, and I turned around just as an Orc tackled me and caused me to fall on my back. I kicked him off of me and twirled my sword, ready to fight. He wasted no time in coming at me, swinging his angular blade swiftly and fiercely. I managed to block every strike he made, then eventually stabbed his gut when I got the chance. The next one that I fought brought a friend with him, but I took them both out at once by cutting the arm off of one and jamming my spear into the other.

We fought long and hard, but it simply was not enough. Our numbers at the gate were too few, and the Orcs came too quickly for us to keep up with. I ducked behind a battered building for a moment to catch my breath, and Gandalf rode up to meet me. "Mithrandir!" I called, panting. "We cannot hold them. We must pull the men back."

He nodded once in agreement, then plunged back into the chaos, shouting orders. "Retreat! The city is breached! Pull back, to the second level! Get the women and children out! Get them out! Retreat!"

I gripped my sword tightly again and cast one last glance at the gate before taking off in the direction of the second level, following the rest of the soldiers who were still alive.

oOo

Pippin's POV

When the roars of the Orcs suddenly sounded more triumphant, I knew something was wrong. I ran out onto the balcony and leaned over the edge, just barely able to see hundreds of them swarming into the first level through the gate. _They've taken the first level. Oh, no..._

I turned back around and ran inside, stopping at Erin's side again. "Erin, _please _wake up." No response. "Come on! You have to get up! We're being attacked, Erin! We're at war! Please!" Nothing.

I sighed and looked down as I sunk back into my chair, defeated. I'd tried everything I could think of to wake her up, but she still hadn't shown any signs of improvement other than the color coming back to her skin. Besides that, I couldn't tell what was going on. I didn't want her to die...but by this point, it seemed like if she didn't die from the arrow wound, she'd die when the Orcs got up here and took the city for themselves. I winced when I thought about how Minas Tirith would look in the hands of Sauron. I still hadn't forgotten those horrible, horrible things I'd seen in the palantír. _I doubt I ever will...especially seeing him. _

I wondered where Frodo and Sam were right now...if they were even alive at this point. I had no idea. I didn't even know if Gandalf and Faramir were alive. I hoped they were. I don't think I could've handled it if reports came back that they'd been killed in battle.

Just when I was about to sneak out of the room and look for news of them, I heard a gasp, rustling, and then a coughing fit. My head snapped up, and a smile broke out on my face. "Erin! You're awake!"

oOo

Erin's POV

Darkness. That's all I remember for a really long time. And pain. Not a burning pain, but just...pain. Pain that I couldn't describe.

That's all there had been for a long while. Silence. Pain. Darkness. Nothing. Until the light came. I still have no clue what that light was, but it had been there. A pure, white light...one that gave off warmth. It moved around a bit, then seemed to hover in one place for a long time. Then it was gone. I'd so desperately wanted it to come back. I hated it, this darkness that had been surrounding me. I felt like it was suffocating me. It was terrible.

I was inactive for a long time. I guess I'd been sort of a prisoner in my own subconscious, because I couldn't do anything for the longest time. I'm not really sure what was going on...other than the fact that I was just trapped in an endless nothing. So I decided to wait. Just sit there and wait as I slowly regained my strength. It took forever, it felt like, and when I finally came to, it was like I'd been drowning in the ocean, and my head had just broken the surface of the water when someone pulled me up. I sat up immediately, coughing and gasping for sweet air. For a minute, I blinked and looked around, confused. _Where am I? What's going on? Why does everything smell like...like fire...and death?_

And then I felt a small hand wrap around mine. "Erin! You're awake! You're okay!"

I looked over to see Pippin standing there, looking like the happiest guy in the world now that I'd woken up. "Wait...what? What's happening?"

"Oh Erin, it was horrible," the little hobbit explained as I slowly came to my senses. "You went out to take Faramir's place when the men tried to take back Osgiliath...and you got shot by a poison arrow." He pointed to my side, and I gingerly reached down to touch the bandages that were firmly wrapped around part of my torso. It didn't really hurt...it was just kinda a dull throb now. "It was a poison arrow, Faramir said. He-"

"Faramir!" I exclaimed. "Is he okay? Where is he?"

Now Pippin pointed out to the balcony. "I don't know. Somewhere out there."

I ripped the sheets off of me and stood up, walking over to the balcony a bit shakily. When I looked outside, I gasped. _The Battle of Minas Tirith...it's happening right now! _It seemed to be about three in the morning, judging by the position of the moon and how dark it was outside. The entire city stank of blood and death, and I could see fires lighting up random parts of the city, allowing me to easily see how much it had been destroyed. "No..." I breathed. "Oh my gosh..." Then something clicked in my head. _Wait...Battle of Minas Tirith equals Battle of Pelennor Fields soon after...at daybreak...in about three hours. Which means Kaia and Kathryn will get here in three hours...OH MY WORD, KAIA AND KATHRYN! They're coming! _"Sweet baby Jesus!" I shouted, turning and running back into our room. I looked myself over, thankful that I was still fully dressed in my typical Middle-Earth outfit, minus the brown boots. I easily spotted them propped up against a wall and ran over to them, pulling them on quickly.

"What?" Pippin asked. "What's wrong?"

"Pippin, where's my horse?"

He looked lost. "What?"

"My horse, Frania!" I said urgently. "Where is she?"

"I-In the stables!" he replied. "But why-"

"Do me a favor, be awesome and go get her ready for me."

Pippin's jaw dropped. "But...you just woke up! Don't you think you should rest?"

I scoffed. "I've been resting for like, a whole friking day. I'm fine now, and I need to get out there."

"No! You could be killed!"

I stood up and strode over to where my weapons had been arranged neatly by my bed. "Pip, if I don't leave now, I'll never make it all the way down to the Pelennor in time. Kaia and Kathryn are coming with the rest of the Rohirrim at dawn, and I need to be down there so I can meet up with them. There's no way I'm just gonna sit up here and 'recover' when there's a possibility that they might die." I finished strapping all my weapons to my body and then looked back at the hobbit. "But now you don't have to do a thing, because I'm already ready to go. Bye, Pip." Without waiting for a response, I ran out the door and booked it through the halls of the citadel until I reached the stables where their horses were kept. Five minutes later, I'd saddled and bridled Frania, mounted her, and was off to make my way down through all seven layers of Minas Tirith, which were all their own little chaotic hell at this point, in order to get out to the main battlefield, where even _more _hell would be waiting for me. I gritted my teeth in determination as I pressed my faithful horse into a gallop. "This should be fun."

I practically flew through the streets of the White City, moving at full speed and dodging pedestrians along the way. Most of them were women and children, I noticed, who were running the opposite direction as me. Fear was easy to see on all of their faces, and I felt bad that I couldn't stop and comfort them. I knew that I had to get down to the Pelennor quickly, though, and I still wasn't sure how I was actually gonna get out of Minas Tirith alive in the first place. Especially with bajillions of Orcs just waiting to chop my head off that were pushing me back. I had a slight advantage since I was on a horse, but still...I didn't want to play one versus one hundred...thousand.

It took me only about an hour to get down to the third level since Frania was going at full speed the entire time. Now things were starting to get kinda chaotic, because this level had gotten hit with projectiles form the enemy's catapults several times. Smoke floated around in the air and I started sweating, courtesy of the flaming rocks that were scattered everywhere. I could hear the growls and war chants of the Orcs and whatever else Sauron had sent to attack us clearly now. The streets were getting more and more crowded now; they were slowing me down. "Move out of the way, please!" I yelled, trying to keep Frania going at a steady gallop despite the people around me. I rounded a slight bend in the path and gasped. "Oh, gosh!"

One of the buildings on this level had been almost completely obliterated. Its once smooth white stone structure was now crumbled and burned by fire that leaked out from almost every window. The front door wasn't even in its proper place anymore, and whatever wooden decorations had been hung on the outside of it were charred a burnt so bad, you could barely tell what they were. Obviously, a huge fiery boulder had hit this house. I would've just picked my way around it and continued on, had I not recognized the house almost immediately. This was Tera's house.

I stopped Frania completely and jumped off of her, taking a cautious step forwards as Frania backed up to move away from the destruction. "TERA!" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. "JEÍDA!" There was no answer. "Anyone in there?"

I bit my lip. This was no time to play firefighter. I had somewhere to be. But...if there was still a chance that someone in the house might be alive...Yeah, that was possible. The building hadn't collapsed completely or anything. In the back of my mind, I knew it was a stupid idea that could easily get me killed, but I refused to believe that their whole family was dead until I saw it with my own eyes. Swallowing my fear and brushing my bangs out of my face, I strode inside the house.

I instantly was hit with an intense wave of heat and coughed on the smoke. It wasn't too bad down here...or at least to the point that I wouldn't suffocate. I slowly walked forward, constantly looking for signs of both human life and signs that the house would cave in so that I wouldn't get caught in it. "Tera! Tera, are you in here?" As I walked forward a bit more, I found their metal front door. It was bent completely in half and had been blown clean off of its hinges, now resting up against the far wall. The source of the insane house fire was right next to it, with the massive boulder lodged in the back wall, the flames having already scorched the wood of it terribly. Furniture was strewn everywhere, and the framing of the house was already weak and bent in some places. _I really shouldn't be in here...but... _

I walked over to a door that was also hanging with open and stuck my head inside to find the living room of their family. Furniture was blackened and destroyed, but other than that, no one appeared to be inside. Just to be sure, I called out again. "Hello? Anyone here?" Nothing. I lightly searched the lower level of the house, finding nothing but lots of burnt furniture and smaller patches of fire that had started from the boulder rolling across the ground.

When I was sure that no one was down here, I decided to take a chance and head upstairs. I stepped up onto the landing of the very narrow stairway and shouted up. "TERA! Tera, it's me! Erin! Are you here?" No response. I exhaled and headed up the stairs, pulling at the collar of my undershirt uncomfortably. The heat up here was worse than downstairs, and my clothes started sticking to me from sweat. I coughed for a bit once I reached the top of the stairs, trying to catch my breath. The smoke was way worse up here, too. "Oh my word...this is horrible..." The first place I went to was Tera's room, which was at the end of the hallway, right above the area that the boulder had gotten stuck in the wall. I panicked when I saw that a bunch of the roof's framing had collapsed right in front of her door, most of it still burning. "TERA!" I ran over to the mess, shoving planks of wood out of my way as fast as I could. I was absolutely covered in dirt, ash, and grime, but I didn't care. I coughed again as the smoke got even thicker, to the point where it made things harder to see.

One of the pieces of framing had somehow gotten wedged up into the bedroom's door handle, jamming it shut. My fear grew even more as I desperately tried to push it away, but it was really heavy. It took all the strength I had to lift it even a little bit. Eventually I managed to toss it away without getting burned, and from there I climbed over the last few bits of wood in my way, getting the door open just enough so that I could get inside.

But no, it couldn't be that simple. As soon as I opened the door, a limp, pale hand fell out and dropped to the floor. I stuck my head inside the room and screamed. "TERA! No!" I frantically scrambled over her body that lay lifelessly on the floor and went into the room, tears pricking my eyes from both the smoke and the emotion at seeing my friend dead. Her body, judging by the position, had been slumped up against the door, and when I pulled her away and turned her over to look closer, I cringed. She had burns all over her body; parts of her hair were scorched clean off. Her hands and fingers were raw and bleeding, and I realized that she'd been trapped in her own bedroom when she'd died, though she'd been trying so hard to shove the door open and escape. Her face was streaked with dirt and dried tears, and her body was cold and stiff. I just stared at her for awhile in disbelief. _Why Tera? Why her, of all people? _

Suddenly, there was a loud groan, and I looked up just in time to see a jet-black area of her wooden floor completely cave in, just at the foot of her bed, which soon slid down into the new gap. I jumped to my feet and backed away, leaving Tera's body on the ground. I hated to leave her here, but I had no other choice. This house wouldn't last much longer, and I didn't have time to wallow in my own grief. Battle was still raging on outside, and I had to get back out there. "...Goodbye, Tera," I whispered as I turned towards her bedroom door.

**A/N: Woo! Long chapter! XD So yeah...Tera died. :( Not a major event, but you know. And...I'M BACK, GUYS! :D Lol, there's no way I'd keep myself out of my favorite LotR battle. XD Though I know a lot of you wanted to see Legolas find me asleep in the citadel and freak out, so...sorry if I disappointed you. ^^; Next chapter may or may not be the end of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields! We'll just have to wait and see. ;) Before I go, I'm gonna reply to my guest's reviews. **

**Legolaslover101: Well, hopefully you know what Grond is now. XD It's the giant battering ram that the Orcs used to break down the gates of Minas Tirith. Personally, I think that thing is AWESOME. And no, I wouldn't do a Snow-White kiss kind of thing...that would be way too cheesy. XD**

**RachelofRohan: Be patient...Legolas and Erin will be reunited soon enough. :D Lol. And of course I'd put in the Oliphaunt slaying scene! That's like...the best part! XD As to your other question, what do you mean by "a Frodo and Sam story?" If you're talking about Frodo/Sam slash/romance, then no. I don't write slash; it would go against what I believe. Sorry!**

**Until next time! :D Don't forget to review!**

**~Erin**


	17. So Many Orcs, So Little Time

**A/N: Hello, hello! :D Welcome back to book four! In all honesty, I'm kind of dreading for when you guys read this chapter...XD I really hope it turned out good for you guys. This chapter will take care of all the stuff that goes on at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, so it'll probably end up being extra long. XD Before we start, though, I've gotta reply to one quick guest review. :3**

**RachelofRohan: Ehhh...I'm not sure. If I ever write another OC insert story for LotR, then maybe I'll send someone to go with Frodo and Sam. I just never found their whole journey as interesting as the others, you know? They just like...walk around a lot. XD**

**Let the fic begin! (I'm already preparing to dodge bricks, rotten food, and whatever else...)**

To Whatever End: Chapter Seventeen

Erin's POV

After I got out of Tera's house, I quickly remounted Frania and started working my way back down to the lower levels. I glanced up at the sky above me, frowning when I noticed that it was much lighter outside than normal now. The moon was hidden by the thick grey clouds spilling out from Mordor, so I couldn't tell exactly what time it was, but I guessed that it was about five in the morning. _Dawn will come soon. Gosh dang it! Why am I always so short on time? _I coaxed my light grey horse to go faster, weaving in and out of all the chaos. As I rode along the wall for a couple seconds, I peeked down over the edge to see what I was gonna be riding right into in a few minutes and cringed. Mordor's armies had literally just broken through the gate, and hundreds of Orcs were pouring into the first level. The men of Gondor had retreated. "No!" I hissed, clenching my jaw and pushing Frania to run even faster. _I've gotta get down there before they completely overtake the first level, or I'm totally screwed. _A minute later, I was on the second level, closing in. _Come on, come on..._

oOo

Faramir's POV

I looked behind me as I ran forward, gesturing for the other soldiers to move faster. "Come on! Quickly!" They nodded and tried their best to pick up the pace as we ran back to the second level. I felt horrible that we'd allowed the Orcs to breach the first level, which was also the biggest one. _Eru help us all, _I thought as I dodged crumbling buildings and other debris that was cluttering the streets. Minas Tirith was a mess. Buildings everywhere were in flames with huge chunks missing from them. Orcs were swarming the area, and there were still several trolls with them that we hadn't been able to kill. At the sound of a loud roar, I looked over my shoulder to see a massive one lumbering along behind us, giving chase as we fled. I wanted to badly to stop where I was and fight them all until no enemy was left standing, but I knew it was useless. I needed to command my men, and I could not do that if I was dead.

There were screams from Men, women, and children alike as the Orcs caught up to some that had fallen behind. Even as we ran, I found myself stumbling over the dead bodies of soldiers that had been killed early on in the war. The entire city reeked of death and decay, and our army was completely disoriented. We were all panicking as we ran, leaping over tables, chairs, stone, anything that was in out way to slow us down. A huge fiery boulder rolled across the street not two feet in front of me, and I almost crashed right into it.

As soon as I passed through the gates of the second story, I ran over to Gandalf and then stopped to catch my breath before speaking. "There are not many men left behind me, and the Orcs and trolls are right on our heels. We must close and brace the gate immediately." Gandalf nodded in agreement, and I turned around to shout the order to our troops. "CLOSE THE GATE! THE ENEMY IS CLOSING IN!" Not two seconds after the words left my mouth, there were shouts from further up the street, and I looked up to see men diving to the sides of the road, making way for something. I backed up as well for a moment as a voice shouted for us to move out of the way, and there was a flash of silver-grey as a single rider disappeared through the gate before it closed. I frowned for a moment, wondering who that person was and why they were heading right into the heart of battle, but I knew it was not something I had time to dwell on. I hurried over to the second level's gate and started to push it shut. Mithrandir was shouting things to the soldiers surrounding us as motivation, but all of a sudden, he was cut off by the sound of a horn. A horn that rang long, loud, and clear.

I stopped what I was doing and went over to the wall, looking out at our western horizon and watching as an enormous mass of horsemen gathered at the top of a large hill. A grin broke out on my face as I recognized the colors of the army immediately.

"What is it?" someone asked. "Who's that?"

"Rohan," I breathed. I'd never felt more relieved in my entire life. "Rohan has come."

oOo

Kathryn's POV

As we approached Minas Tirith, my mouth went dry. _This is it. This is what I came here for. To fight. We can do this. I can do this. _But as soon as I could see over the top of the hill form my position in the second row next to Éowyn, my eyes almost bugged out of my head. _Oh my God, I'm gonna die._

Minas Tirith looked awful. It hardly even looked white anymore because it was surrounded in a thick haze of black smoke and burning still in various places. As for the battlefields...I shuddered. There was so much black. So. Much. Black. It seemed like there were millions of enemies down there. "We'll never make it," I whispered, my voice shaking as I looked over at my friend. "There's so many of them!"

"Calm down, Kathryn," she whispered. "We must have courage. Courage for our friends." Despite the even tone of her voice, I could tell that Éowyn was scared, too. _We all are._

I let out a shaky breath and looked out towards the massive army as King Théoden turned around and trotted towards us from where he'd been checking things out. _Erin and Faramir are down there somewhere...Oh God. How am I ever gonna find them? _The war chants of Sauron's army were loud and aggressive, pounding in my ears. By now, the Orcs had noticed us, and were turning around in their ranks to prepare to take us head-on.

The king started riding down the line, shouting orders to his commanders. "Éomer! Take your Éored down the left flank!"

"Flank ready!" came the horse lord's response.

"Gamling! Follow the King's banner down the center. Grimbold! Take your company right after you pass the wall. Forth! And fear no darkness!" The King then turned to face the rest of us regular soldiers. "Arise! Arise, riders of Théoden!" He passed right by us, and Éowyn gasped, ducking her head. "Spears shall be shaken! Shields shall be splintered! A sword day...a red day...ere the sun rises!"

I swallowed hard, though I couldn't do anything to stop my pulse from going a thousand miles an hour. Those of us who had spears lowered them forward, and King Théoden took out his sword to hit them all, one by one, as he rode down the line. I saw the Orcs bend down and stick their sharp weapons out at us, too.

I felt a hand on my arm, and glanced over to Éowyn. I felt like I was gonna be sick. She must've seen the look on my face, because she leaned over a bit and reassuringly whispered "Whatever happens, stay with me. I'll look after you." I nodded, still scared shitless as I sat on Hasufel. We looked forward and heard the clanging of the king's sword hitting everyone's spears to wish us good luck. I pulled out my own blade and gripped it firmly in my hand, praying that I would at least make it through the first five minutes of this. "Ride now!" Théoden shouted. "Ride now!" I licked my lips and took deep breaths. "Ride! Ride to ruin, and the world's ending!" He stopped riding down the front line and moved out so that he was ahead of everyone else again. "Death!" he shouted, raising his sword in the air.

"Death!" many of the Rohirrim echoed. I swallowed again, trying to remember Éowyn's words. _Courage for your friends. Come on,Kathryn._

"Death!" Théoden cried again.

"Death!" The army responded even louder this time.

"DEATH!"

This time, every single rider out there, including myself, thrust our weapons in the air and screamed as loud as we could. "DEEEEEATH!"

Just as the sun came over the horizon behind us, Théoden gave the command. "Forth Éorlingas!" He was answered with the clear ringing of dozens of horns, and with that, our king started forward, holding his head high.

We didn't hesitate to follow suit, and I cast Éowyn one last hopeful glance before nudging Hasufel forward. We started off moving at a slow trot, but that quickly changed into a jog, then a run, then a canter, then a full-blown gallop. With the thundering of thousands of hooves and the other Rohirrim screaming _DEATH _all around me, my fear shrunk back a bit, and I got the best glare on my face that I could muster as I stared straight at the enemy, pushing Hasufel to go faster. A volley of arrows was fired from the Orcs, but it barely but a dent in our ranks. I didn't even flinch as the arrows sailed through the air, missing me completely. "DEATH!" I shouted again, gripping my sword tightly.

"Death!" the others around me cried out again. Another round of arrows hailed down on us a few moments later, but it hardly did anything. We still pushed on, riding hard, and screaming _death _all the while. I will never forget the looks of pure fear on the Orcs' faces as we drew closer, or the sudden burst of confidence that I got when they started to back up, afraid of us. _They'd better be afraid of us, 'cause they're about to be in a world of hurt. _"Death!" I shouted again as crashed right into them, swinging my sword violently and slashing at Orcs like a madwoman.

We completely trampled them. Our army slammed into theirs with such force, we even knocked some of the Orcs completely off of their feet when we collided. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I sliced my blade through the air below me, cutting down one Orc after another and not taking any damage since I was out of their reach. Within minutes, we'd completely destroyed whatever ranks the enemy'd been formed in earlier, and the battlefield dissolved into absolute chaos as Orc and man clashed with each other. We left an insane trail of destruction in our wake, which made the Orcs freak out even more. Éowyn and I were even able to stick together through the mess, screaming like we were crazy as we cut through those bad guys like a machete through butter.

"Kathryn!" I turned around to look at her just after I finished stabbing another Orc in the face. "Come on!" She turned and drove her horse in a different direction, and I followed close behind.

As we worked our way around the battlefield, we eventually got sort of close to Éomer, but not in a position where he'd clearly be able to see us. He had a triumphant grin on his face. "Drive them to the river!" I followed his gaze, confused, but then grinned as well. The Orcs were running away! They were running from the city...from us! We won!

"Make safe the city!" Théoden called out from a ways off.

"Yes!" I did a fist pump, then twisted around in my saddle to give Éowyn a high-five. "We did it! Oh my God, we-" I stopped talking when I saw her face change from happiness to fear in a split second. "Éowyn?" She seemed to be staring off at something, so I turned my head. "What?..." Now it was my turn to look horrified. The Orcs weren't running away from us completely...they were running to safety behind a bunch of...of...

"Mûmakil..." Éowyn whispered. "Haradrim from the south!" As if on cue, a loud horn sounded from the line of fifty-foot-tall elephants on the horizon. Seriously, they were _huge. _Each one of them had long tusks with sharp wooden spikes in one form or another attached, and on their backs there were huge wooden tower-things, each carrying dozens of men dressed in black, red, and gold uniforms. They reminded me of ninjas, in a way...only five thousand times scarier. You could hear their war chants from all the way across the field. The elephants (or Oliphaunts, as I remember Erin calling them) roared loudly, throwing their heads back as they marched forward.

Apparently Théoden had noticed them too, because a second later we were reforming the line and charging again. I pushed Hasufel to go faster in order to keep up with Éowyn and her horse. "This really doesn't seem like the best idea!" I shouted.

"We will have to trust my uncles' judgment!" she shouted back, raising her sword. I did the same, bracing for impact as the beasts drew even closer...closer...closer...

If we had just completely owned the Orcs, then the mûmakil just plain blew us out of the water. It was ugly right from the start. The huge things were swinging their tusks back and forth, sweeping horsemen and their riders out of the way and a dozen feet into the air like they were pieces of paper. I screamed as I narrowly missed getting hit by one. Their massive feet completely smashed other horses into the ground, and it wasn't long before the ninjas on board started firing arrows down at us, too. It was absolute madness. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" I screamed as I frantically followed Éowyn around. Whatever confidence I'd had five minutes ago with the Orcs was gone out the window now.

"Kathryn! Stay with me!" the sheildmaiden called over her shoulder. "I'll lead you through! Take my sword and cut their legs!"

"What?" I shrieked, but it was too late. She'd already handed me her sword (which I miraculously was able to get a hold of) and started weaving through the huge mess, dodging swinging tusks and stomping legs. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Éomer chuck his spear straight up into the chest of a Haradrim dude who was supposed to be steering the Oliphaunt around. He screamed in agony and fell off of the beast's head, causing a cord to yank on its ear and send it veering sharply to the right. That Oliphaunt then slammed into another one head-on, and they roared in pain as they fell right on top of each other, dead.

"KATHRYN!" Éowyn shouted, snapping me back into focus. "LEFT!" I followed her as a mûmak stepped right over us, screaming a bit as I ducked to avoid getting shot by a random arrow. We rode right up to an Oliphaunt, passing right between its front legs just as the tusks were swung up to avoid getting hit. "NOW!" she shouted.

_Please don't let me fall off! _I let go of Hasufel's reins, gripped both swords tightly in my hands, and swung, cutting deep gashes in all four legs of the giant thing. As we slipped out from underneath its backside, it roared in pain and sunk to the ground. Éowyn quickly spun around and took her sword back. "Oh my God, I did it!" I shouted. "I did it!"

She smiled. "Thank you, Kathryn. You did well. Now come on!"

Just as she said that, there was an incredibly loud roar from right behind us. We both turned around and looked up to see a mûmak rear back on its hind legs, bellowing in pain as dozens of Rohirric archers fired at it without mercy. It leaned back so far that random Harad men started falling right out of their towers, screaming as they fell to the ground. It wasn't until the thing finally stumbled backwards that we realized it was falling right towards us. We were about to become pancakes. "SHIT! ÉOWYN, MOVE!" I screamed, yanking on Hasufel's reins as hard as I could. He whinnied loudly and veered off to the left too sharply. As the Oliphaunt crashed to the ground, I fell right out ofHasufel's saddle, my sword tumbling out of my hand with me. I rolled a few feet just as there was a loud _thud_, and I looked back to see one of my faithful horse's hooves sticking out from underneath the huge thing, which was two feet away from my face.

I cringed as the grass quickly turned a dark shade of red, then started coughing horrible on all the dust in the air that had stirred up. "Oh God...you okay, Éowyn?" No answer, and my heart stopped. "ÉOWYN! ÉOWYN, WHERE ARE YOU?" I screamed, spinning in place and looking around frantically for the white lady of Rohan. _Oh God, please tell me this isn't seriously happening. No! I'm gonna die! Oh my God, I'm gonna die! I have no horse, and I lost Éowyn! Oh my God!_

After a minute of pure panic, I figured that the only real option I had was to keep fighting and hope I ran into her somewhere along the way. _Shit, what if she got crushed? Oh my God, I'd never forgive myself. _I picked up my sword from where it lay in the grass, took deep breaths to calm myself down again, and stepped out from behind the dead mûmakil.

Bad idea. Two seconds later, a couple of Orcs charged right at me, blades held high. I screamed and backed up a step in fear. They grinned and shot each other knowing looks. _Pull yourself together, Kathryn! This is no time to freak out! Just go! _I sucked in a breath and charged at them, blocking the strike of one before stabbing him in the gut, then kicked his friend away from me so that I had enough room to swing my sword down in a nice arc, hitting him right in the skull and spraying blood everywhere. I cringed as some of it got on my clothes, but I didn't have any more time to think about it before another one came at me. He almost got me in the shoulder, but I sidestepped his attack and nailed him in the side, sending him down.

My next opponent was one of the ninjas, and he was a lot harder to take on than an Orc. He thrust a spear right at my chest, and I jumped back just enough so that it only scratched my chest armor. I tried to push him back with a bunch of fast strikes, but that didn't work. He stood firmly in his spot, so I tried the next tactic that came to mind. I ran completely around him, kicked him in the back of the knees so that he fell, and then stabbed him in the back – literally. It wasn't until he'd fallen down that I had to push my hair out of my face, which made me realize that my helmet was gone. "The heck?" I just shrugged and went back to fighting. _I guess they'll just have to deal with me being a girl now._

oOo

Faramir's POV

Mithrandir, Pippin and I all sat together on a small stone balcony just inside the second level's gate. Every few seconds, it would shudder as the trolls continuously beat it with a hammer. They would break in soon...I could tell. I stared at the men surrounding the door, ready to attack as soon as the gates gave way. The arrival of the Rohirrim had certainly helped us a lot, but we still had hundreds of Orcs to worry about that were running wildly through the city. I stared out at the battlefield, wondering still if we even had a chance of winning. _It just seems so impossible..._

For several long seconds, it was silent...until young Pippin finally spoke. "...I didn't think it would end this way." My heart sank a bit. Even he had given up hope. The brave halfling had come rushing down to us not an hour ago, dressed fully in the armor I had once worn as a boy, ready to fight alongside the rest of us. He'd said that Erin had awoken and immediately left to go fight, which did not surprise me at all.

"End?" My gaze turned to the wizard, who was looking at the hobbit with a raised eyebrow. "No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path...one that we all must take." I thought about that for a moment before he continued. "The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass...And then you see it."

"What, Gandalf?" he asked curiously. "See what?"

Now Mithrandir had a small smile on his face, as if recalling a fond memory. "White shores...and beyond...a far green country, under a swift sunrise." He exhaled and looked at us both, the smile still present on his face.

"And you have seen this yourself?" I asked. This was something I did not know about him.

He nodded. "Yes...I have seen it. A long time ago..." he trailed off.

"Well," Pippin said quietly, smiling as well, "that isn't so bad."

"No," the wizard replied. "No it isn't."

All of a sudden, there was another loud _bang _that startled us all. I looked back to the Istari, who nodded, signaling for me to go. I sighed and got to my feet, my spirits lifted a bit from the short rest. As I drew my sword once more and stepped up to help defend the gate with the others, I found myself not quite as fearful of the enemy behind that wooden barrier as before. _'Death is just another path...one that we all must take.' _

_ And I am willing to take it, if for the sake of my country, _I thought with a smile.

oOo

Erin's POV

I punched another Haradrim man square in the face and slit his throat before letting him drop to the ground, then looked around for the thirty-seventh time. _Where the frick are Kaia and Kathryn? It shouldn't take me this long to find them! _Another Orc ran up and tried to sliced my chest open, but I blocked his swing and kneed him in the soft spot to bring him down long enough for me to run in another direction.

I'd gotten out of Minas Tirith fairly easily, actually, and emerged onto the Pelennor Fields not thirty seconds after the Rohirrim had arrived and trampled forty percent of the Orcs with their epic charge. It hadn't been too hard for me to hold my ground, but Frania had gotten shot with two arrows and fallen some time ago. I'd been working my way around the field on foot ever since. So many of the men from Rohan had given me the weirdest looks when they realized I was a girl and I was fighting out here, but I ignored them. After all, I had plenty of bad guys to kill and a couple of best friends to find. I didn't have time to worry about hiding my woman-ness.

A trio of Orcs charged at me, and I stabbed one in the gut while elbowing the other off of me, as he'd tried to wrap his thick, meaty arms around my neck to suffocate me. That failed. The other one scraped me on the left shoulder with his knife, but only because I'd squirmed out of the way before it stabbed me in the heart. I, in turn, cut off the arm that he'd cut me with, which killed him off, then kept moving. It seemed like they were everywhere, despite the fact that I knew the Rohirrim had taken out a good chunk of them when they'd arrive. For a split second, I glanced up at Minas Tirith, specifically the second level. I felt bad for kinda ditching Faramir and the others, but I needed to be down here. I really did.

Another Haradrim suddenly slammed into my right side, sending me stumbling over a few feet before regaining my balance. He did a double take when I saw I was a girl, then flashed his twin knives and started attacking me. We were pretty evenly matched, as I could never find an opening to get him, nor he to me. For a couple minutes, we just kept blocking each other until he got annoyed and literally just shove me backwards so that I tripped on my own feet and fell. I rolled out of the way just as he brought his knife down, making him stab nothing but the dirt below, but he suddenly stopped me by placing a foot on my stomach and pressing down hard, making the breath leave me in a rush. I coughed and got my sword up to block his knives from stabbing me in the face, then kicked my leg up so that I hit him in his unprotected spot as well, making him cry out in pain and stumbled back. I used this an an opportunity to get back on my feet, run forward, and make him taste blade and I plunged mine deep into his chest (though I will admit, it felt weird to see both black and red blood mixing together on my sword).

I was just about to step forward in another direction when I heard a scream, then felt something tackle me from behind. I let out a battle cry and jammed my elbows back into flesh, hearing the person grunt in pain as they released me. Blade ready, I spun on my heels to face my next opponent...and almost dropped to the ground once I saw who it was.

"Well fine, then!" Kathryn said, beaming. "I didn't miss you, either!"

"Oh my word! Kathryn!" I jumped forward and hugged her tightly. "Thank the Lord I found you! Are you okay?" She looked a little bruised and scraped up, but nothing bad.

"Yeah, I'm fine! What about you?" She released me from the hug.

I glanced behind her. "Wait a sec." With a scream, I jumped behind my best friend and decapitated an Orc that had been trying to sneak up on her to hit her with his axe. Once he was dead, I turned back to my best friend. "I'm good! Could be better, but you know." Another Orc approached us, and I easily took him out by tripping him and cutting his chest open.

Kathryn was looking at me with a smile on her face. "Nice. Shall we team up, ma'am?" she said in a funny-sounding fancy accent.

"Why yes, I think we shall," I replied in the same voice. We laughed and then took off together across the Pelennor, swords in hand.

oOo

Kaia's POV

I was squatting down behind the side of the ship, staying out of sight from anyone on shore as Aragorn had instructed. I was itching to get out there and beat the shit out of some bad guys with the others, because after sitting on a ship for almost three days with nothing to do, I'd almost ripped my own hair out.

"Kaia." I looked to my right, where Aragorn was crouched down next to me. "Are you ready?"

I scoffed. "I was born ready." He smiled a bit, and I smiled back as our boat floated up to the shoreline.

A moment later, I heard the rough, scratchy voices of Orcs yelling at us from onshore. "Late, as usual! Pirate scum! There's knife work here that needs doing!"

"Got that right," I muttered as I drew my twin blades.

"Come on, ya sea rats! Get off your ships!"  
"Now!" Aragorn hissed. One by one, the four of us jumped over the railing and landed squarely on the solid ground. At first, the Orcs looked at us like they were thinking 'You've gotta be kidding me. An elf, a man, a woman, and a dwarf? What the hell.' Too bad they didn't have a secret weapon like we did.

As we strode towards the Orcs, I saw Gimli glance up at Legolas for a second. "There's plenty for the both of us. May the best dwarf win!" I grinned confidently as we broke into a full run, the army of the dead materializing out of thin air from behind us as we charged the Orcs. They shrank back in shock and fear, but had nowhere to go before the ghosts were on them, killing like there was no tomorrow.

Aragorn and I stayed near each other as we fought our way through, and I managed to catch glimpses of a beaten and half-destroyed Minas Tirith every now and then. "Looks like we got here just in time!" I shouted to him over my shoulder.

He nodded. "They'll need all the help they can get."

**A/N: Well. When I typed up the entire battle...it ended up being 13 pages long, so I split it. The NEXT chapter is where the really big thing happens. My bad! **


	18. She's Not Coming Back

To Whatever End: Chapter Eighteen

Erin's POV

Kathryn and I, when put together, actually made a pretty darn good team. She must've gotten some practice since I saw her last or something, because she did a lot better than I ever expected her to. We always fought side by side, watching each other's backs as well as our own, killing off dozens of Orcs and Haradrim men (or 'ninjas,' as Kathryn liked to call them). We'd been fighting as a duo for about fifteen minutes when I spotted a very large grey thing out of the corner of my eye. "Kathryn! Kathryn, look! Éowyn's over there fighting the Witch-King!"

Kathryn gasped. "What? Éowyn?!" She quickly stabbed an Orc in the leg and then broke into a run, headed right towards the one-on-one battle. "ÉOWYN!" she screamed.

I ran after her, suddenly freaked out at the thought that she might try and interfere. "Kathryn, no!" I shouted, grabbing her my the shoulder and holding her back. "We can't mess with her. She's gotta kill him by herself!"

Kathryn looked at her friend worriedly, which was to be expected since they were so close. "...Fine. But I want to stay nearby in case she needs help."

I nodded. "We can do that." A couple more Haradrim then advanced on us, so Kathryn and I were forced to focus on defeating them first. We were each fighting two men, and mine were both taller than me, so I had a bit of trouble at the start. I'd just killed one by hitting him in the neck with my blade when I noticed something wasn't right about the whole 'Éowyn-fighting-Witch-King' scenario. _Wait a minute...she didn't kill the Fell Beast! It's still alive, it's just...sitting there watching. The frick? _I forgot about the second Harad man for a moment, and that ended up being a moment too long. Next thing I knew, he'd punched me in the face in an attempt to knock me out so he could run me through, and I grunted in pain, stumbling backwards. My vision swam, but I could still at least make out the form of my attacker well enough to successfully stab him in the shoulder before he could do any more damage.

I shook the punch off as Kathryn walked over to me. "Erin! You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, "but look." I pointed to Éowyn. "She didn't kill the Fell Beast. She's supposed to do that in the movie."

Kathryn frowned. "What? Oh yeah, you're right? But...why wouldn't she kill it?"

"I don't know," I said, and we looked at each other for a second. "Maybe she-"

I was cut off by a loud gasp of pain from Éowyn, and we both turned out attention back to the battle as the Witch-King of Angmar slammed his giant spiked ball into her shield, shattering both that and her left arm instantly. She crumpled to her knees as the wraith loomed over her, grabbing her neck and pulling her close to his face.

"No!" Kathryn cried out. She started to run towards him, not seeing a huge Orc come lumbering up behind us.

"Kathryn!" I shouted, spinning and catching the Orc in the chest with my sword just in time before he brought his club down on her head. When she heard my shout, Kathryn also spun and stabbed the guy just after I did in the heart, and he limply fell to the ground. I exhaled in relief. "We really need to start paying attention more."

But Kathryn wasn't even listening to me. She shot a hand out and gripped my shoulder tightly, eyes wide. "Erin...is that supposed to happen?"

I looked back to the Witch-King like she was, and gasped. "Oh my gosh!" The Lord of the Nazgûl had his hand wrapped around Éowyn's neck and was holding her high in the air. She looked at him with a horrified expression for about three seconds, feet dangling, before the Witch-King let out his signature ear-piercing screech, tightening his grip on her throat. Éowyn screamed in agony as he crushed her neck in his hand and thrashed about violently in the air before she completely tensed up, then went limp as the wraith dropped her body to the ground.

"ÉOWYN!" Kathryn screamed. She ran forward to her now dead friend, already crying. I just stood there for a second, utterly confused. _But...what? How did Éowyn...how did that happen? What about her saying 'I am no man?'_

And then it hit me. _Merry. In the movie, when the Witch-King grabbed her by the neck, then Merry would always come up and stab him in the back of the knee, forcing him to let her go. Oh my gosh..._ And now Éowyn was dead because Merry hadn't been there to save her when he should've been.

A shriek brought me back into reality, and I looked up to see Kathryn getting to her feet, sword drawn, screaming at the Witch-King in fury. "YOU BASTARD! You killed her! You killed her!"

The Witch-King hissed in annoyance. _"It would be wise to run now, girl...while you can."_

"In your dreams, you ass!" Kathryn shouted back at him. _Ohhhhh frick. This won't end well. _I whipped out my own sword again and ran over to her.

"Kathryn, no!" I shouted. "You can't-"

_"Silence, fool."_

I froze and turned my head to glare at the ringwraith. "Excuse me?"

The Witch-King now gripped both his spiked ball and his sword in his hands. His eyes seemed to stare into my soul, and I shuddered. _"Do not come between the Nazgûl and his prey. You have no purpose with me...unless you wish to die."_

Now he was pushing my buttons. "I'm not gonna be the one who dies today. That'll be you, as payback for killing Éowyn!" I shouted. I stepped forward, ready to face him, though on the inside I was deathly afraid. I knew what he was capable of, and I knew how hard it would be to fight him, but there was no way he was getting away with this.

He laughed. _"You know not who you speak to, weakling!"_

I have no idea what exactly happened next, to be honest. All I remember was screaming and charging at him, clashing blades...and BAM. Next thing I knew, I'd been thrown down and rolled across the grass, feeling like a train had just run into me, though I wasn't bleeding at all. Kathryn was screaming my name...I shook my head to try and clear the dizziness, but I was still shaken. _What the heck just happened? _Again, I felt a burning on my right hand, and I knew it was the Ring of Unity reacting to the Witch-King, but now it was a legitimate searing pain. As in I could feel it burning my skin. I cried out from the sting and looked up to see the corrupted king looming over me.

He spoke with almost a mocking tone to his voice. _"Even your precious elven magic cannot save you now."_

Suddenly, Kathryn stepped right in front of me. "Don't you dare! You already killed Éowyn, you asshole! Erin's gonna make it out of this alive, and I'll make sure of that!"

_"Do you not know power when you see it?" _he hissed.

"I don't need power to beat the shit out of you," she said lowly.

The Witch-King seemed to get more pissed off at that remark. _"I will break you..."_

Kathryn just swallowed and gripped her sword tightly in front of her. "Come at me, bro."

I watched in shock as the Witch-King swung his mace at Kathryn, nearly taking her head off. She ducked just in time and lashed out with her sword, but he blocked it. I winced when he screeched again and covered my ears. Kathryn then sidestepped another one of his attacks and tried to hit him in the arm, but he spun around, mace flying, and would've slammed it into her side if she hadn't reacted by jumping back when he turned. The Witch-King jabbed at her with his sword, which Kathryn blocked, then shoved her back and swung his mace at her again, aiming for her feet. She hopped over the thing like it was a deadly jump rope. Kathryn stepped back for a moment, looking like she was winded and needed to catch her breath. The Witch-King immediately took advantage of this and let out another screech, bringing his mace straight down at her head at lightning speed.

Then Kathryn did something incredibly insane. Just as the momentum of the mace pulled his arm downward and completely exposed his right side, she spun out of the way, stopped, and literally jammed her sword into his side.

"Kathryn!" I shouted. "No!"

Too late. Kathryn instantly ripped her hand away from the sword like it was on fire and screamed in pain, falling to her knees. By this point, I'd recovered from my fall and got to my feet in seconds, grabbing my blade and walking around to stand in front of the wraith, who was also screeching and on his knees from Kathryn stabbing him. "You. Get out. NOW." I growled. "You don't' belong here. Get back on your dragon and go tell Sauron you failed."

The Witch-King did nothing for a moment, and for a second I thought he would pull some last minute trick and kill us both. Finally, he raised his head to meet my gaze, and I almost cried. Somehow, he just made pain flare up all over my body, particularly in my head. _"You...have not...defeated me...foolish...mortal." _While I knew this was true, it was obvious that Kathryn had at least wounded him. He sounded much weaker than normal. Without another word, the Witch-King of Angmar got up, remounted his Fell Beast, and took off into the sky, leaving Kathryn and I there in the clearing by ourselves.

"...What just happened?" Kathryn asked weakly.

I dropped to my knees beside her. "We drove him away, Kathryn. The Witch-King's gone now."

"Is he dead?"

"No," I said bitterly. "He's not. Are you okay?"

"No," she mumbled. "I can't feel my arm."

"It's because you stabbed him," I explained. Then I realized that this was a bad situation. I had no medical supplies on me, and the battle wasn't quite over yet. I thought about a solution long and hard before I spoke again. "Kathryn."

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think you could just stay here and not move a muscle until I come back? I need to go find out where Aragorn is. He can heal you."

"I don't know...Can I?"

I sighed and picked up her sword, handing it to her. "Just...pretend you're dead. I promise, I'll come back and find you. It'll be over soon."

Kathryn already seemed like she was going unconscious. "You promise?"

"I swear on my own life I won't leave you," I said. "Now stay here." I made sure Kathryn had her sword firmly in her hand, just in case she'd wake up and need it, then turned and ran off across the fields, determined on finding the rest of our group.

oOo

Legolas' POV

This battle was far more difficult that anything I had faced yet. I was nearly out of arrows, so I had been forced to switch to using my knives for quite some time. It seemed to last for hours, and I constantly found myself desperately working to keep Kaia, Aragorn, and Gimli close by. Even though we had arrived at a later point in the battle, there were still so many enemies running rampant on the Pelennor...and I could not even begin to imagine how bad things must be inside the White City.

But I could not give up. I knew I couldn't. None of us could. We definitely had the upper hand now that the army of the dead had agreed to fight for us. It still amazed me how efficiently they could kill so many in such a short time. Even with their help, however, we still had plenty of work to do. I had just finished slicing an Orc across the chest when I heard Aragorn shout my name. "Legolas!"

I turned around to see an enormous mûmakil charging straight towards me, roaring loudly as it came forward. _Valar help me, _I thought as I ran up to meet the beast. Just as it roared again and lifted its head back, I grabbed one of its tusks and swung up onto it, then used my momentum to swing back down and grab a hold of its ankle. It took more strength than I expected to hang onto the mûmak with the way it was storming across the field. When the two legs came close enough together during its walk, I jumped over to the hind one. Fear jolted through me for a second as my right hand slipped, and I clung to the hide of the animal tightly as I was jerked around until I could find footholds and grip it more securely.

Moving quickly, I climbed up the leg and dodged the swatting tail of the mûmak that was trying to smack me off like I was some sort of irritating bug. As soon as I got up on top of the beast's back, I whipped out my bow and started shooting the Haradrim who controlled it, counting as I went. "Thirty-three! Thirty-four!" One man tried to jump out and tackle me, but I shot him down. _Thirty-five. _The next landed in front of me, leaning on a spear to keep his balance, so I grabbed it and tossed it away, causing him to also fall off of the mûmak. _Thirty-six. _The next one that jumped out almost knocked me off, but thankfully I was able to duck and send him rolling off my back. _Thirty-seven. _I spotted a loose rope that was draped across the animal's back and grabbed it, swinging down to the other side of the beast next to the ropes that strapped the tower of men to their transportation.

I had planned to use my momentum to swing down to the mûmak's front leg, climb up it, and detach the tower from there, but that did not work out as planned Just when I thought I had a grip on the leg, the beast's movement made me lose my footing, and the momentum sent me crashing back against its hind leg. I grunted at the impact and pushed away gently, but that only got me stuck right in the middle of the two legs. I tried to swing over, but I could not when it was walking.

My hands burned as another large step by the mûmak sent me sliding down the rope a few feet so that I was dangling from the end by only one hand. I hissed at the burn, but then kicked out one last time and managed to get enough of a push off of the front leg that I could brace my feet against the animal's side. Whipping out my knives, I cut right through the thick ropes in one go, then let the tower pull me up onto the beast's back as it slid off and crashed to the ground. _...That will count as ten. Forty-six. Now to get this thing down. _I grabbed three arrows out of my quiver, pulled them back on my bow, and fired them all deep into the mûmak's skull. _Forty-seven._

That was the final hit. It roared loudly in pain, so much that I could feel a vibration in my boots, and stumbled forward, collapsing to the ground as I slid down its trunk and landed solidly on my feet. I exhaled as Gimli walked up to me and nodded to the dwarf, who looked both shocked and upset. "...That still only counts as one!"

I shook my head and gave him a small smile. Just as I was about to reply, I saw a flash of color behind him...a blur of red-violet amidst all the brown, green, and black. I stepped forward and blinked to make sure my eyes were not cheating me, and then beamed. "Erin!"

At my shout, she stopped running and looked around for the source of the sound. When her eyes landed on me, they widened in shock. "Legolas!" Before I could react, she'd run right up to me and tackled me in a hug, burying her face in my shoulder. "Oh my gosh, it's you! I missed you so much, Legolas!"

I returned the embrace, relishing the moment that I had been most looking forward to. Her statement caught me off-guard, though. "Did you really?"

"I did," she said, pushing back slightly so we could see each other. Her hand landed on my chest and lingered there, and I deeply hoped that I was not blushing. "You have no idea how worried I was about you."

_She...she was worried about me? _"Likewise," I said. She smiled, and I could not help but smile back. I was so tempted to kiss her, right then and there, despite all those who were watching. "I never stopped thinking about you," I said softly so that only she could hear.

Something flickered in her eyes that I could not read, and then she merely looked down and laughed a bit. "Knowing you, I'm sure you didn't."

oOo

Erin's POV

In that moment, I honestly don't think I could've been happier. I don't know what it was, but just the fact that Legolas was okay and he was safe made me absolutely giddy. Relieved, I guess. And the hug just made everything better. I'd needed one of those. I'd been way overdue for a Legolas hug for like...a month now. And now that battle was over, everyone was here. It was perfect.

...But things can never stay that way for long, can they?

I could see Kaia standing behind Legolas, but she wasn't looking at me. Her gaze kept flickering around, like she was expecting something. And then out of nowhere, she tensed and then bolted right past Legolas and I. "Move!" she shouted.

I blinked as she brushed past us and turned around. She was running towards Aragorn, but...why?

Then she jumped in front of Aragorn.

...And took two Orc arrows to the chest.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion for me. As soon as they hit, I felt like I couldn't breathe. Then, as soon as she fell to the ground and screamed in pain, I snapped. "KAIA!" I ripped myself out of Legolas' grasp and ran to her, still feeling like I was being suffocated. "KAIA!" I fell to the ground beside her as she groaned. They had nailed her directly in the heart and dead center of her chest. "Kaia, answer me!" I was already crying. "Kaia!"

She blinked once slowly and looked at me. "Erin...I'm sorry." Even now, her breathing was slowing.

"W-What do you mean, y-you're sorry?!" I shrieked, brushing hair out of her face.

"Erin...it's over."

"NO!" I screamed. "NO! It can't be over! You can't die, Kaia! You can't!"

She paused and blinked again. "Erin...I had to. It...it was my fate." Another pause. "I looked into...Galadriel's mirror. I saw...the signal...from Minas Morgul...and I saw...this battle...and I saw...Aragorn...get hit. I...I saw him die." I was well aware now that the ranger was standing over us, also listening. "That...is why I was...brought here, Erin...I had to save him."

"But you don't have to d-die!" I said, crying harder. "You can't! You can't leave me! Please!"

Kaia turned her head, shaking now as she struggled to breathe. "Aragorn..."

I didn't even look at the ranger as he spoke, but he sounded terrible. "Kaia...no..."

"Promise me...that you'll take the crown...They need you...Aragorn."

"Kaia, I..."

"Promise me."

Aragorn paused. "I promise."

Kaia turned her head forward again and sighed, a small smile on her face. "...Then my task is done."

My entire body was shaking. "Why d-didn't you tell me?"

"You...would've tried...to change it. It wasn't...something that could be...changed." I just stared at her, in complete shock, and Kaia looked sadly back up at me. "Erin...I'm sorry, Erin..."

"This isn't happening," I said. "We have to get them out. Take the arrows out!" I shouted to no one in particular. I reached for them myself, but Kaia's weak voice stopped me.

"Give Kathryn...my best..." she whispered. "Tell her...I said goodbye..."

"Kaia!" I said. "No!"

"I'm sorry, Erin..." She exhaled one last time and closed her eyes, and then she was still.

"No...NO! KAIA! NOOOO!" I screamed, sobbing. "KAIA! KAIA! NOOOO! NOOOOOOO! COME BACK, KAIA! COME BACK!" I felt strong but gentle hands on my shoulders, trying to pull e away, but I kept screaming. "NO! WAKE HER UP! KAIA! KAIA, WAKE UP!"

"She will not wake up, Erin," a gentle voice whispered to me.

"SHE HAS TO!" I screamed. "SHE CAN'T BE GONE! KAIA! KAIA! NOOOO!" The same person picked me up and held me in their arms, rubbing my back and whispering something to me over and over again. "KAIA! NO! NOOOO! KAIA! NOOOO!" I stared at the body of the girl who had been my closest friend for over six years as it got smaller and smaller...as Aragorn also collapsed next to it...I sobbed even more. "Let me go back! LET ME GO BACK! I NEED TO SEE KAIA! KAIA!"

"No, Erin," the person whispered. "She is not coming back."

I continued to scream and sob, even as I was carried all the way back up to the top level of Minas Tirith...even as we went back to the citadel...even when we got to my room. And as soon as Legolas sat me on my bed, I collapsed into his chest and cried with him until I literally had no tears left.


	19. No Reason To Smile

**A/N: Hey guys! :D Just so you know...no, Kaia and Éowyn aren't coming back. :( I know a lot of you wish they could return, especially the former, but...no. Sorry! On another note, how is it October already?! Halloween is gonna be here before we know it...then Thanksgiving...then Christmas...:O Woah. That's crazy. I'm cosplaying as Frodo for Halloween this year, though, so I'm super-excited for that! :D I'm even making my own replica of Sting from scratch, and might have a legitimate replica of the One Ring by the 15th! :D I can't wait! Enjoy this next update for now! :3**

To Whatever End: Chapter Nineteen

Faramir's POV

I knocked on the wooden door at the end of the hallway in the citadel and entered when a soft voice quietly said "Come in." Upon slipping inside, I noticed that the drapes had been drawn shut over the balcony to block out the mid-morning sun. Several candles on the walls had been lit to illuminate the room, but even that only let off a dim light. The elf prince, Legolas, was sitting in a large cushioned armchair by one of the four beds, one elbow set on the armrest and his fist propping his head up. Either he was dozing or simply looking down; I could not tell in the low light.

"Prince Legolas," I called out from where I stood just inside the closed door.

He lifted his head his head to meet my gaze immediately, then straightened up in the chair. "Captain Faramir," he replied with a short nod.

"They have found Kathryn," I reported. "She was just brought into the Houses of Healing not an hour ago. I was sent to inform you and Erin of this." The heir of Mirkwood nodded again, his gaze moving to the small form curled up on the bed next to him. I walked over and stood beside the elf, looking down at Erin. Her hair was an absolute mess, and her face still appeared to be slightly wet and sticky from tears, but she still looked at least slightly peaceful nonetheless. "She sleeps,"I stated quietly.

Legolas sighed. "Yes, for the first time since yesterday."

I frowned. "She did not rest at all during the night?"

"Not at all," he said. "She only just fell asleep about three hours ago." He reached over and pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "The loss of Kaia is all she can think about."

"And what of you?" I asked. "Have you rested much?"

The blonde shook his head. "Not much."

"You should not exhaust yourself, Legolas," I said, trying to sound more caring than stern.

"I know," he replied, looking up at me briefly, "but she needs comfort more than I need sleep at the moment."

It fell silent for awhile, and my thoughts immediately went to Kathryn. I could relate a bit to the situation Legolas was in, as I wanted nothing more than to remain by her side until she was healed...but as captain, I had many duties to fulfill. I had only been able to see her for a few short minutes, and had never been more horrified. No one was sure what happened, but Aragorn had been doing all he could to help her condition improve anyway. All we knew was that apparently a nasty wound on her right forearm had reopened, as well as both of her arms being strangely cold to the touch in comparison with the rest of her body. She had been in a cold sweat when I had seen her, and very pale. Fear settled on my heart as I realized that I didn't even know whether or not she would stay with us for much longer. I thought about Erin again as I looked back to her sleeping form. _The loss of one of her friends is bad enough...I would hate to have to tell her she lost them both._

Coming out of my thoughts, I cleared my throat. "Well, I should be off. There's much work that needs to be done in the city." I placed a caring hand on Legolas' shoulder, but he did not even flinch at the touch. "Get some rest, Legolas." With that, I turned and left the elf and the woman alone again.

oOo

Legolas' POV

"Get some rest, Legolas," Faramir said before letting go of my shoulder and leaving the room. Internally, I scoffed. _I must have heard that at least a thousand times today. _Normally, I would have done so, but given the situation, I felt as if it was my duty to remain awake in case Erin needed me. And besides, there was simply too much going on in my head for me to sleep soundly. I was shocked and saddened by Kaia's sudden death, too. We all were. I had not seen Aragorn much since he had asked me to carry Erin off the battlefield, but I knew he was deeply affected by losing Kaia as well. The two of them had been incredibly close, though not as close as Erin, Kaia, and Kathryn had been.

I sighed and looked up at Erin again. It had pained me so much to just sit there and listen to her cry into my tunic, but I knew that there was nothing more I could do. There would be no comfort for her to ease the pain of her passing other than time. I knew her too well to expect that she would be able to easily cope with this. She had been closest with Kaia more than anyone else, even myself. And Kathryn...poor Kathryn, who did not even know what had happened yet...who never even had the chance to say her final goodbyes. Now that I thought about it, the last time those two had seen each other would have been when we left for Dwimorberg some weeks ago. _She will not take the news well, either. _I knew that Kaia's body was to be buried in the Gardens of Minas Tirith later this evening, but not a specific time. I assumed Erin would be awake by then, but one can never be sure.

At that moment, I heard a soft gasp, and was pulled out of my thoughts to see Erin stirring in her sleep, her breathing getting faster and more panicked. "Kaia..." she whispered, "...Kaia, where are you? Kaia!"

I reached out at once and grabbed her hand, moving in closer to her. _"Losto, L__ó__nnan__û__niel...hebo h__î__dh, Im han. Hebo h__î__dh..." _I whispered. (Sleep, Erin...have peace, I am here. Have peace...) Within a few seconds, her breathing grew deeper again, and her slight grip on my hand relaxed. I leaned in and gently kissed her forehead, exhaling when I drew away. I remembered the promise I had made to Kaia...I promised her that I would tell Erin how I loved her the first chance I got. I had been more than willing to do so on the battlefield yesterday, but now it was not the time. She needed to get used to not having Kaia around for awhile before I could say anything. However, that certainly did not stop me from worrying about her safety and well-being.

I hated seeing her so upset all the time, and I wished that I knew more comforting words to say in times like these. I had never been much good at consoling others over death, mostly because it was not something I ever felt like I would truly understand. I knew what it was like to lose a loved one, but never in a thousand years could I confidently say that I knew how Erin felt right now. I did not know, because I had never had a relationship with Kaia as she had, therefore I felt as if I truly did not know what she was going through. _Kathryn will likely be able to comfort her better than I can...when and if she awakes, that is. _

Feeling cramped and stiff from sitting in that chair for so long, I stood up and walked over to the thick black velvet drapes that cut off the balcony, opening them just a crack so that I could look out. It seemed to be about noon, though I was not hungry at all, nor was I tired. I glanced over my shoulder at Erin, still fast asleep, and hesitated for a moment before fully stepping out onto the balcony, soaking up the fresh air and sunlight.

I looked away to the north, missing my home terribly. I wondered if Ada even knew that I was still alive by this point. Then I wondered how he would react if I told him that I loved the one woman in all Arda whom he longed to see rot behind bars and cringed. _Oh Valar, if she ever set foot in Mirkwood again, my father would have her locked up for an eternity...possibly even executed. _I tensed. No. I would not allow that to happen...ever. _He would have to kill me first before I could get to her. _

I knew exactly how he would respond if I told him those things. _'But Legolas, she is a mortal! She will not live forever, no matter how much you protect and are faithful to her! You know this!' _I sighed again. "Yes...I do know that," I whispered to myself. Even if she would love me in return with all her heart, she would die one day...and I would be forever bound to her until the end of my days in grief. And my father would refuse to let me die of a broken heart just as much as I would refuse to let him exile Erin. _But what could be done? She is a normal woman, and I a full-blooded elf. I do not have the option of forsaking immortality. _I looked down at the railing of the balcony. Now I saw how the grace of the Valar could be more of a curse than a blessing. _What am I to do, then? Waste away to nothing, simply because I have fallen for someone I can never have? That should be no one's fate. _And this was all assuming that she returned my feelings in the first place. I frowned, frustrated. _I still wish to tell her that I love her...but at what price? Once I tell her, I can never take it back. _I lifted my gaze to the battlefield again, my eyes roaming over the blood stained land. _Ever._

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I sucked in a breath, then another, then another. _Holy God, I'm alive! I'm not dead! _

Someone echoed my thoughts a second later. "She's alive," a rugged voice said to someone nearby. There was the sound of someone else running off, and then the person spoke directly to me. "Kathryn, can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes and found myself staring up into Aragorn's stormy grey-blue ones. "...Yes..." I whispered after a moment. "Yeah...I am."

A small smile appeared on his face, and he lifted his palm off of my forehead. "You are incredibly lucky to have survived that ordeal. Not many people do."

Now I frowned a bit, confused. "Wait, what? What happened to me?"

"Did you not fend off the Witch-King of Angmar on your own? That is what I was told."

I blinked, the memories slowly coming back to me. "Oh...yeah! I did."

Aragorn nodded. "When you stabbed him, the dark power of the wraith traveled straight into you. Typically those that suffer in such a way die not long after...but you have some strength in you."

I didn't reply for a minute, instead choosing to check out my surroundings. I was in a large, open room lined with dozens and dozens of stretchers that carried injured men, just like me. Healers of all shapes and sizes were scrambling around the room, trying to save as many lives as they could. Despite all the commotion, though, it was relatively quiet. I liked that.

"Kathryn." Aragorn's voice caught my attention, and I looked back up at him. "You have visitors." He stepped back to reveal Legolas and Erin, who had been standing behind him. Legolas was smiling down at me, looking a little worn out, but happy to see me anyway. Erin looked absolutely relieved that I was still alive, but she stayed next to the elf. She looked like she'd just crawled out of bed to come see me.

"Hey guys," I managed to croak out.

Next thing I knew, Pippin was poking his head up to see me. "Kathryn! You're awake!"

I smiled a bit. "Yeah...I am." My head was throbbing a bit, and my arms were really numb, but other than that I felt okay. "I wasn't gonna just go and die on you guys...that wouldn't have been very nice."

"Well, we are glad to have you back, my dear," said Gandalf. He was standing off to the side, next to Aragorn.

"Thanks," I said. I looked around the little group of people that were gathered around me. _Wait...someone's missing. _"...Where's Kaia?"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Erin visibly tensed and sucked in a breath. Legolas grabbed her shoulder and looked at her worriedly, and she met his gaze for about three seconds before turning and running off without a word. "Erin!" The elf called out after her, but she kept running, heading right out of the room. He glanced at Aragorn apologetically before the ranger nodded, and then took off after her.

The happy expressions on everyone else's faces fell into ones of sorrow and pain, and I looked back and forth between the remaining three, completely lost (and now a bit scared). "What did I say? What's wrong? Where's Kaia?" Aragorn dropped his eyes to the floor, as did Pippin.

Gandalf was the one to finally come forward and crouch down next to me, gently laying a hand on my shoulder as he solemnly spoke the words that completely destroyed the life I'd known before I'd been hurt. "...Kaia did not survive the battle."

oOo

Legolas' POV

I followed Erin as quickly as I could, finding her alone in the spot that Kaia had just been buried in just an hour prior to Kathryn's awakening. She sat on the white marble bench underneath two slender trees in the Gardens of Minas Tirith, right in front of a small clearing dotted with pale blue and lavender flowers. One large area had been outlined in plain white flowers for the time being to signify Kaia's grave. Erin had her head in her hands and sat there, sobbing. I walked over and sat down next to her, and she immediately clung to me like a frightened child. We sat there in silence for several long moments, holding onto each other, before she spoke, her voice shaky and weak. "...I c-can't do this, L-Legolas..."

I gently stroked her hair to help calm her down. "I know it is hard, Erin. You will grow used to the change eventually."

"S-She's gone...she c-can't be gone!"

"She is, Erin," I said. "Kaia is not coming back. I am sorry." She did not respond, but only continued to cry as I embraced her, staring down at Kaia's grave all the while. _"Hebo estel," _I whispered to her.

It took a few seconds for her to reply, and what she said pulled at my heart more than anything else. "I w-wish I had a r-reason to."

**A/N: Ahhh, short chapter. D: I'm sorry, but I feel like this was a good place to end it. This is more or less a filler chapter, anyway. :P Now to reply to a couple guest reviews!**

**TheLadyElla: Oh good, I'm glad you're not throwing anything at me. :D I'll get beaten up enough at school tomorrow when I see Kaia and Kathryn. *shudders* If I never update again, it's because they murdered me. XD**

**LotR Geek: FFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- I just lost The Game. -_-**


	20. Love is in the Air

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty

Kathryn's POV

I stared down at my bandaged forearm blankly as I sat on the end of my bed. I'd been allowed to move into the same room as Erin, Pippin, and Gandalf once I'd been released from the Houses of Healing. Healers were constantly running in and out of the here to check on me as often as possible, though, so I'd had practically no time to just get up and walk around by myself. Heck, I hadn't even gotten the chance to visit Kaia's grave.

Just thinking about it brought a lump to my throat. It had been three days since Gandalf had broken the news to me, but the truth still stung like a fresh smack in the face. How had it come to this? How was it that Kaia, of all people, could just be...gone? I couldn't even remember the exact last words I'd said to her back when we were at that creepy mountain. _At least we made up from that stupid fight, _I thought. _I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my last words to her were something like 'I hate you.' _And Éowyn...she was gone, too. She'd been the first and closest Middle-Earth friend that I'd made when I arrived here, and now she was dead. _Why does this always happen to the people who deserve to live? _

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door, and I wiped at my watery eyes before saying anything. "Come on in." Assuming it was another healer, I didn't look up as I turned around and straightened my bedsheets. "It's still hurting, but I think the medicines are working okay. I at least have some feeling in my arm again."

"You're a very lucky woman," a strangely masculine voice said. I snapped my head up, and was shocked to see none other than Faramir standing in the doorway.

We just looked at each other for several seconds, he with a small smile on his face, and me just plain staring in awe until I finally found my voice. "F...Faramir?" I asked quietly.

His smile grew a bit, and he nodded. "Yes, Kathryn. I am here." He slowly walked over to my bed and stopped at the foot of it. "...It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"I...yeah...yeah, it has," I said. "Too long," I added as an afterthought.

"Much too long," he confirmed. Then his gaze shifted down to my arm, but he momentarily glanced up at me expectantly, as if asking for permission. I nodded, and he got down on his knees to examine it a bit. He picked it up gently, and surprisingly, I felt no pain. "I will never be able to wrap my mind around how you got out of that alive," he said, chuckling a bit. "You have strength in you still."

"Oh come on," I said, rolling my eyes. "You don't think I'd die that easily, do you?"

He laughed again. "I see your spunk has not left you, either." Looking up at me and gently setting my arm down again, he exhaled. "Kathryn...I missed you."

At first, I didn't really know how to respond to that, so I just looked at him. "Me too," I said after a moment. "I thought..." I trailed off, now kinda embarrassed to say what I'd been thinking all this time, and looked down at my hands that were in my lap. "...I thought you didn't care anymore. You stopped writing to me."

Faramir sighed. "It was never my intent to mislead you. My father didn't allow me to write to you because he didn't want me wasting my time on a 'simple peasant girl.' Obviously he did not know you very well if he assumed you were only that," he muttered at the end of his explanation.

I blinked. "Oh. Well...where's your father now? You'd think he'd be pretty pissed about you even talking to me, from how you make it sound."

This time, Faramir didn't answer right away. "He...My father is dead," he whispered after a moment.

My jaw dropped. "Oh my God...Faramir, I'm so sorry." Whether the guy liked me or not, this was Faramir's father we were talking about. I knew how much of an ass he could be to his youngest son, but nonetheless, it must've hurt Faramir deeply. Without thinking, I leaned over and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the dull pain that flared up in my arms at the act. He tensed at first, not expecting the action, but then melted into the hug anyway. I thought about how comfortably his head rested on my shoulder. After a few seconds, Faramir tried to pull away, but I stopped him, gripping him tighter. "No..." I whispered. "...I like this. Let's stay like this for awhile."

Faramir pulled away completely at that, sitting up straighter and looking me directly in the eyes. Neither of us said a word, but right then and there I could tell that all this time, he had loved me, just as I loved him. This felt right. This didn't feel like the awkward mixed signals I'd been getting some months ago. He stood up completely and then sat down next to me on my bed, eyes never leaving mine. "Kathryn..."

Out of nowhere, I felt a warmth on my fingers, and looked down to see his hand covering my own. I hesitated only for a moment before slipping my fingers between his, a warm fuzzy feeling replacing the numbness in my arm. I looked back up at him, and subconsciously reached up to lightly run my fingers over the ginger stubble on his chin. "...We've both lost someone special, then," I said.

He nodded. "Yes...we have." Silence. "...Though I believe I have also found another who can help comfort me in this time...if you would have me."

Even though I knew it was coming, it still kind of caught me off guard and made the blood rush to my face. "Gladly," I said with a smile before he leaned down and kissed me lovingly. His free hand slipped up around the back of my neck, and I laughed a bit as he kissed me again and again. This was exactly what I needed right now...I needed love. And I'd been lucky enough to find it.

When we finally pulled away, I settled into leaning against his chest, staring off into space. Again, the silence was all we needed, both of us just relishing the comfort of finally being in each other's arms. Neither of us moved as we sat there for a long time, our hearts and minds at a momentary peace despite the trauma we'd both gone through. As I enjoyed the quiet time, I remembered how only a few months ago I'd been so desperately wishing to go home. Now I couldn't even begin to describe how bad of a decision that would've been. _I'm happy here now, _I thought to myself. _I will stay...no matter what...for Faramir._

oOo

Erin's POV

Kaia.

Kaia was gone.

She was completely and utterly gone...forever.

I just...I couldn't understand that. I didn't know why. I hated myself for letting it happen...for not stepping in and trying to stop those two arrows. For not trying to change it.

And then, right on cue, that ethereal female voice echoed in my mind again. _Some fates are not meant to be changed, but accepted. _I'd been hearing that in my head ever since Kaia had died, but I still didn't understand. I was an absolute mess. I couldn't handle it. I just couldn't deal with losing the friend that I'd considered as close as a sister to me. I shivered and pulled the thin blanket tighter around my body as I sat on the stone white bench, staring down at her grave. I'd been here a lot lately. Probably more than I should've been...but I didn't care. I couldn't just move on like nothing had happened. No way. Kaia was gone. That shouldn't have happened. Why did it happen?

_I should never have pushed her to go with the Fellowship in the first place, _I thought bitterly. _She could be safe in Rivendell right now, still fully alive. _

_ But then Aragorn would be dead, _another part of me argued. _And then where would we be? In utter chaos, that's where. You know Aragorn can't die; he's too much of a major character. She did what she judged to be right._

_ Why does that have to involve her making such a huge sacrifice, though? _I felt tears slide down my face again, as per usual. _I don't understand..._

I wanted to just give up. I doubted I'd ever be able to cope with this completely. I'd certainly never forget her. Never ever...not in a million years. I hung my head again as I cried. "Kaia..." I whispered, "...why? Why you and not me? Why you, instead of anybody else?" It made no sense. None of it. Not one bit. I couldn't accept her fate, no matter what that voice kept telling me. How could this be her fate? That didn't seem possible!

Sadly, it was. _Saruman was right...one of us didn't survive the war. _I cried even more. _How does this happen? How was I unable to protect her? Even if I hadn't known it was happening, I still should've been able to help her out a little bit...right?_

This was what went through my mind for hours on end every day. This was how life was now. I was completely torn. Crushed. Unable to comprehend what was going on. After sitting there on the bench, a cloudy grey sky overhead and the sun hidden away behind that, for about an hour, I slowly got up and made my way back to our room. I walked in to see Kathryn laying on her back in bed, staring up at the ceiling absentmindedly. I I kept moving until I got to a small table by my own bedside that had all of Kaia's things spread out on it to serve as memories of her for us. I quickly picked up her necklace from Elrond, as well as her twin black blades, and went back to Kathryn. She turned her head towards me as she approached, and I could see that she'd done her share of crying for Kaia, too.

I handed the necklace out to her, with a short chain and deep sapphire gem. "Here. You should have this," I said. "It fits better on you than me."

"Thanks." Kathryn reached over and took the necklace, immediately fastening it around her neck before looking down at the blades in my hands. "What about those?"

The twin katanas were no longer attached to their belt, so I sighed and also held one of those out. "We'll wield them together. She'd want it that way," I said in a shaky whisper.

Kathryn nodded, but I could tell she was on the verge of tears, too. She sat up in bed as she received her black blade, inviting me to sit next to her. The second I sat down, she pulled me into a tight hug, and we both cried into each other's shoulders. Tears mixed together as we wept, grieving for the breaking of our once strong trio.

"Erin.." Kathryn whispered after awhile, her voice still thick with sorrow. I looked up at her, still sobbing. "...S-She's really gone..."

I nodded. "She is..." We continued to cry for awhile longer.

"I d-don't get it," she went on. "Why? W-Why her?"

"I don't k-know," I replied. "I just don't know."

More short silence. Then Kathryn spoke again. "We can't give up. We're gonna have to keep moving forward. For Kaia."

"F-For Kaia," I nodded.

oOo

Legolas' POV

_Two weeks later..._

I was walking silently through the halls of the citadel, taking time in the middle of the night to think to myself about various things. It was fairly late in the evening, as I had caught glimpses of the full moon suspended high over the White City in the dark sky several times on my walk. I had no intentions of going anywhere...I was just walking.

At one point, I passed through a balcony-like area that allowed you to see down into the Gardens of Minas Tirith, and I paused as I passed through there, looking out over the vast expanse of color that was hidden away in all the white, colorless stone of the city. My eyes scanned the area thoroughly, coming to a stop when they landed on Kaia's burial spot, and my brow furrowed as I made out the form of someone out there, laying on the bench. _Oh no..._ I quickly put two and two together and took off at a faster pace, moving quickly as I worked my way through the hallways, eventually making it to the entrance of the gardens. Once inside, I followed the path that I knew all too well towards Kaia's grave, slowing as I rounded the last bend. My expression changed to one of pity and sorrow as I spotted Erin, curled up on the likely cold, hard stone bench, with nothing but a single blanket that I recognized as my own elvish cloak wrapped around her loosely as she slept. Even I could feel the chill of the fall evening air, and I guessed that she had fallen asleep outside in the midst of her mourning.

Being careful not to wake her, I slipped over and lifted her up into my arms. She shivered, and I tried to tuck the blanket tighter around her as best as I could, seeing the peaceful expression on her face. She had been slowly but surely growing used to the change of not having Kaia around over the past several days, but was still deeply hurt by it, as I knew she would always be.

As I carried her back into the warmth of the citadel, I looked down at her again. Even in sleep, she looked absolutely perfect in every way I could describe, and I wished that she would awaken so that I could hear her voice and see her sparkling green eyes...but she needed her sleep. I knew that when I had last seen her, she had been nodding off, but that had been a few hours ago when she was in her own bed. The two of us had talked for awhile about whatever came to mind, recounting our adventures to each other since we had been separated until Erin became too tired to say any more. I frowned as I realized that she must have dragged herself out to the gardens not long after that, despite her exhaustion. As I slipped down the hall and into my own private room, I sighed, laying her gently on my bed. "Oh Erin...you cannot keep doing this to yourself..."

Just then, she stirred...and her eyelids flickered open. "...Legolas?" she mumbled drowsily.

I smiled a bit. "Yes, it is me."

She blinked, then yawned and sat up. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep outside, and I found you out there a few minutes ago. I brought you here," I said. "Erin...you cannot sleep outside at this time of year. You will make yourself sick doing that."

She sighed. "I know, I know...I'm sorry. I can't help it."

I gently touched her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "You can, Erin. You must learn to move on." I shifted position so that I was embracing her. "I know it is hard," I whispered, "but we have no other option."

Erin was silent for a long while before she asked something that I was not expecting at all. "...Why are you doing this?"

oOo

Erin's POV

Even though I couldn't see his face since it was settled comfortably on his shoulder, I knew that the elf was caught off-guard by my question by the fact that he didn't answer right away. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean...all of this." I pulled away from Legolas' hug and spread my hands in a gesture. "You'll go out of your way just to keep me safe and make me happy. Why?"

Legolas just looked at me, uncertainty reflected in his eyes. "Erin...I honestly do not know if I can answer your question or not."

I frowned. "What? Why not?"

He let out a breath and looked away for a moment. "...Be more specific. What is it that I do for you?"

I thought about that. "Well...you're the person that I've talked and vented to every day since Kaia...died. You'll always listen to me, no matter what stupid thing I'm talking about. The other day you went out and got me lunch when I didn't even ask you to...You gave me your cloak to use as a blanket, and now you're carrying me inside in the middle of the night because you're afraid I'll get too cold or sick. Why?" Normally, I would've just said it was because he was one of my closest friends, but this...something just seemed different about him lately. I couldn't figure out exactly what it was, though.

Again, the blonde prince was quiet for awhile. "...You wish to know the complete truth?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Legolas seemed deeply conflicted with something for several long seconds, before I saw his expression change suddenly into one that said he'd made a decision. "All right," he said, straightening up and turning to look me right in the eye, his expression soft and caring. "...I love you."

For the second time in less than a month, time came to a screeching halt. "...What?" _Did I not hear him right or something? Because I swear I just heard him say-_

"I love you," the Mirkwood prince repeated.

I blinked, completely shocked. Those were the last words I'd ever expected to come out of his mouth. "You... you love _me_?"

"Yes," he replied, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Ever since Moria. When I accidentally injured you, we...I thought that you would not make it, and...the thought of losing you forever was almost too much for me to bear." Memories of the nightmare with the Krakencame flooding back to me, and I looked up directly into Legolas' blue eyes, which told me that he was being sincere with every word. "I could hardly forgive myself for what I had done...and I realized it was because I loved you."

I just stared at him again. "But you..." Then I realized something. "Wait...did you...love me when I was with Haldir?"  
He smiled a bit and nodded. "Yes, I did. It was...difficult to deal with, but I did not wish to come between you and another that you had feelings for, especially Haldir. He was an honorable elf."

I nodded, still completely flipping tables on the inside. "And you...you've loved me all this time?" Legolas nodded. "...So you lied to me, then," I said, frowning a bit. "You lied to me when you said that the kiss at that party meant nothing to you."

He exhaled. "That could not be further from the truth. Erin...that meant everything to me. I said that because...I thought that you felt nothing, and that you did not have the same feelings for me as I did for you."

_Oh my gosh...that makes so much sense. Oh my...oh my gosh. _Then something else crossed my mind. _Well, you lied to him too. You know that kiss was incredible for you, you just never told anyone. _"Okay Legolas...I have a confession to make. I lied about the kiss, too," I said, looking down in shame and embarrassment. "It...I did the same thing as you. I said it was nothing because I thought that was what you felt."

I looked back up at Legolas, surprised to see that he looked a bit shocked now, too. "Really? Then...you felt it?"

I nodded. "Yeah...yeah, I did feel it." _Though I'm not exactly sure what 'it' is._

It was dead silent for the longest time until Legolas spoke again. "Erin..." I looked at him again. "This is not something you can ask me to ignore."

"I...I know," I said, still unsure of what I was supposed to say. _So...Legolas loves me. But...I can't...I don't...Oh my gosh, WHAT IS THIS. I DON'T EVEN. _My thoughts were racing a mile a minute as I tried to get my bearings, but then I remembered why I had eliminated love as one of my options in the first place. "Legolas, wait. How can you...This can't happen! You're an elf, and I'm a human. That doesn't work."

"Erin, please," he said, placing a hand on my arm. "That means nothing to me."

"B-But," I stammered, "your father-"

"If my father has a problem with the woman I love, then that is rather unfortunate for him, but his opinion of you will not sway my feelings one way or the other."

Again, I couldn't even think of what to say. _This...what is this? I don't...He can't be serious! _One look into Legolas' eyes proved that wrong. He was completely serious. The longer I looked at him, though, the more I thought about it. _...Am I in love with him? _I thought about everything we'd been through over the past couple years. He was the first one who befriended me here. He was the one who was worried about my safety going into this adventure in the first place. He was the one that I could tell anything and everything to. He was the one that I'd had the best memories with. It was Legolas. Legolas was...the elf that I loved. Through all the crap I'd been through, he'd been by my side whenever possible to help me deal with it. To comfort me when I cried. To make me laugh when I was bored. _And I love him for that. Oh my word...I love Legolas._

"Erin," Legolas said again, catching my attention. "If I may ask it of you...do you love me as well?"

"I...Yes. Yes, Legolas...I do. I love you." As soon as the words left my mouth, I smiled. _This feels right. This feels so right, I swear._

Legolas looked like he didn't believe me for about four seconds before he smiled widely as well, laughing and making his eye sparkle. _His eyes...they're so blue! _Suddenly, everything about Legolas interested me, but I barely had time to think about it before he gently tilted my chin upwards and kissed me on the lips.

I tensed immediately, recognizing that electric feeling that shot through my body as he kissed me from before. Oh, how I'd so unknowingly missed that feeling. I kissed him right back, my hands clasping together back behind his head as his own tenderly cupped the side of my face and my shoulder. It was incredible. This was the right choice...I could feel it. Haldir had been a great guy, but he hadn't been able to make me feel like this. Legolas was the one that I loved, I was sure of it now. _This is perfect. _I kissed him again. _This is absolutely perfect._

After what seemed like forever, we finally separated, but Legolas rested his forehead against mine as we looked at each other. He looked so happy...I seriously never remembered ever seeing him this happy before, and that made me happy. I laughed as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Legolas..." I said quietly, just enough for him to hear me. "I do love you. I know that now. I'm so sorry it took so long to figure it out."

He just kept smiling. "There is nothing to be sorry for, Erin."

I blushed a bit and glanced down. "Don't pity me. I unintentionally made you suffer through the worst friendship ever."

He laughed. "It is all in the past now. You do not need to worry about that anymore." One of his hands found mine, and I clasped it tightly.

"Thank you," I said, twirling one of his braids in my other hand's fingers. "I know I shouldn't be asking you any favors, but...for now, there is one thing that I think we should do."

"And that is?"

I looked at him again. "I think we should keep this relationship on the down-low for now, until we know for sure that things are gonna work out. I'd rather not have rumors spreading around and all that junk when we've still got a war to focus on. It'll be our little secret," I said with a wink.

Legolas nodded. "I understand your concerns, Erin. I am fine with that...but you must promise me that we will still have time to ourselves often."

"Whenever we can," I said. "Unless you get too annoying, that is."

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Of course, dearest."

We both laughed, and then I sighed. "As much as I hate to cut this short, I should probably be back in my own bed by now. I'm gonna be dead tired in the morning." We both stood up and kissed each other one last time. _"Le melon, Legolas," _I whispered. (I love you, Legolas.)

_"Le melon, L__ó__nnan__û__niel." _(I love you, Erin.)

**A/N: Best way to thank me for this chapter? Leave a review. ;) **

**...It's 3:34 AM...I'm not writing anything else here this time. XD**


	21. Fluffiest Chapter Ever

**A/N: Oh my gosh...it's almost over! D: NOOOOOOOOOOO! Dude, I'm seriously gonna flip tables when I finish this fanfic. I've fallen in love with it so much! ;A; That being said...I expect it to be finished in another ten chapters or so...AFHLJASHLK I CAN'T EVEN SAY IT. :( **

**I feel so blessed to have gotten this many loyal followers as this fic has progressed...but I'll save that speech for the final chapter. ;D Let's get out of this rather depressing author's note, shall we? OH WITH THE FIC!**

**Oh, and I got a replica of the One Ring that I ordered from Ebay in the mail the other day! :D I love it, elvish inscription and all!**

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-One

Erin's POV

The atmosphere in the main hall of the citadel was so tense that day, I could barely stand it. Never in my life had I ever wanted to scream bloody murder, just to make some noise or cause someone to jump. Everyone was still as statues, and it made me want to punch something. I glanced over at Legolas, who stood next to me, but not so close that it hinted at our new relationship. Gimli sat in the black throne of the Steward on my other side, and Éomer stood by Legolas as well. Aragorn and Gandalf were also present, but they both stood further away from us four. Kathryn and Faramir stood on the other side of the stairs leading up to the king's throne, holding onto each other'shands and shooting each other worried looks every so often.

When Aragorn finally broke the silence, I almost jumped forward and hugged him in relief. "How many men have we lost?" he asked Faramir.

"Several hundred, possibly a thousand when I was last informed," he said.

Aragorn then looked over to Éomer, who shared the same grim expression. "We have lost much more than that. I would estimate about two thousand casualties on our side."

The new king of Gondor exhaled and looked down at the floor, thinking. "...Then that would leave little more than five thousand of us left."

"Left alive," I pointed out. "Over half of those men are probably injured or unaccounted for."

"That is also true," he admitted. After another moment of silence, he spoke again. "What are we to do, then?"

Now Faramir frowned. "I didn't think there was anything to be done other than repair the city where damage was done."

"Normally, I would agree," Aragorn said to the redheaded man, "but there is something else still that most of us have likely forgotten about." He turned to Gandalf. "What news of Frodo and Sam?"

The wizard was silent for an incredibly long time before he answered, and when he did, his tone was solemn. "...Frodo has passed beyond my sight." I let out a breath quietly, even though I'd been expecting that same news. "The darkness is deepening."

"If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it," Aragorn replied, trying to stay positive as he faced away from us all, thinking.

"It's only a matter of time," Gandalf said. "He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor our enemy is regrouping."

"Let him stay there! Let him rot!" My eyes flicked over to the dwarf, who sat slumped back in the huge chair, smoking his pipe. "Why should we care?"

"Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom," Gandalf shot back. Gimli couldn't reply to that. No one could. "...I've sent him to his death," I heard the Istari mutter hopelessly.

Suddenly, Aragorn turned back around. "No. There is still hope for Frodo." _Cue everyone's 'Wtf Aragorn' looks. _"He needs time, and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that."

"How?" Gimli questioned him.

"Draw out Sauron's armies," he replied, confidence unwavering as he went on. "Empty his lands! Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." At this, I saw Kathryn's eyes bulge out of her head, and Gimli choked on the smoke as he inhaled, coughing and sputtering at Aragorn's seemingly insane idea.

Éomer stepped forward, looking skeptical. "We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms."

"Not for ourselves," Aragorn said, "but we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed on us." Now he looked at Gandalf knowingly. "Keep him blind to all else that moves."

"A diversion," Legolas said, the faintest smile on his face as he understood his friend's idea.

I also grinned a bit. "It's crazy...crazy enough that it just might work."

"Certainty of death!" Gimli piped up, making hand gestures to match his statements. "Small chance of success!...What're we waitin' for?" My smile grew, and I winked at him when he met my gaze, then looked up at Legolas, who was also smiling back at me.

Kathryn threw her hands up in exasperation. "I swear, you people are all purposely trying to get yourselves killed! It's like you plunge into battle just for the heck of it around here!"

"Welcome to Middle-Earth, dear," I said. Legolas and Gimli laughed, to which Kathryn just rolled her eyes.

"So it is settled, then?" Éomer inquired, bringing us back to the more important topic at hand. "We truly are riding out to Mordor?"

Aragorn nodded. "Yes." Then to Faramir, he asked "How soon do you estimate we could leave?"

"Possibly in the next few weeks or so, if we do all we can to prepare quickly and recover from the battle," he replied. The blonde man of Rohan nodded also.

"Excellent. We'll leave as soon as possible," he concluded. "You are free to go."

As soon as Aragorn dismissed us, the tension lessened incredibly, and several of us let out breaths of relief. Éomer pulled the unofficial king of Gondor aside to speak privately with him for a moment, Gimli promptly got up from the throne and left, and Kathryn slipped out with Faramir as well. I turned and looked at Legolas. "You have any plans for the afternoon?"

"No," he answered with a shake of his head.

I mimicked a n expression of shock and leaned back dramatically. "What a coincidence! Neither do I!" He laughed. "We should hang out." I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.

He played along for a moment, pretending to look uninterested in my idea. "Perhaps we could...though I am not sure that I will enjoy spending all day with you."

I shot him a harmless glare. "You suck," I said, laughing anyway. I turned and walked out of the main hall, the blonde prince right at my side.

While walking through the citadel under the public eye, we just talked, laughed, and acted as friends. It wasn't until we'd entered the deserted guest room that he shared with Aragorn, Éomer, and Gimli that Legolas slipped his fingers in between mine and kissed me gently on the head. "What plans did you have in mind for us?" he asked.

I walked across the room and ungracefully flopped onto his bed. "I don't know. You got any ideas?"

"I am afraid I do not."

I laughed. "We're such a creative couple."

He smiled as he pulled off his boots. "I will be content with anything you choose."

I smirked mischievously as I swung my body around and hung my head upside-down from the foot of his bed while he sat on to of Aragorn's directly across from me, an amused look on his face. "So what if I told you that I wanted to go jump off the roof of the citadel?" I asked.

Legolas just rolled his eyes. "Obviously I would not let you do that."

"Why not? Don't you love me enough?"

"You know that I do, Erin," he said. "More than simple words could explain."

I smiled at him from my dangling position. "I love you too." It was silent for a few seconds until I started giggling.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You look funny when you're upside-down," I said, grinning. Legolas laughed too, and reached over to grab both my arms and help pull me off the bed. Unfortunately, this failed miserably, and I ended up falling flat on the floor, still laughing. Legolas sighed and reached down to pull me up again from where I lay on the floor, but I just grabbed him and pulled him down with me. Even though he was much stronger than I was, I managed to get him laying on the ground next to me, our laughter finally dying down as I rested my head on his bicep. My stomach fluttered as he leaned into me a bit more. "You know, maybe we should just stay here instead of going to Mordor. I like that idea."

Legolas sighed. "As do I, but we have a responsibility to protect Frodo as much as we can. That is why we started this quest, after all."

I thought about Frodo and Sam, who at this point should be just coming out of Shelob's lair. "I know...but still. I like being here with you a lot better."

He chuckled a bit, and it vibrated in my own chest. _"...Hannon le." _(...Thank you.)

I glanced up at him, confused. "For what?"

"For everything," he said. "...For this." He reached over and gently clasped my hand in his own, sending tiny fireworks up my arm. "If not for you, I could not imagine how much less bright this adventure would have been."

"You honestly aren't all that different from how you're supposed to be," I said. "Just...in the movies and all, they made you seem so...solemn. Serious. But I never really believed that you would've actually been like that in real life. Everyone has a fun side to them...it just takes some digging to get to it." After another moment of silence, I sighed. "I'm still worried about your dad, though. He'll never allow this."

Legolas cupped my face in his hand so that I was looking at him seriously. "Erin, you know that you do not need to worry about that. We both agreed that I would choose who I gave my own heart to, and that is you."

"But he hates me!" I said in exasperation. "He'll probably have my head on a stick if I ever st foot into Mirkwood again."

"Not if I can help it," he reassured me. "I will not let anything happen to you. I will protect you...I promise." Suddenly, he tensed and dropped his hand, looking away almost out of guilt, it seemed.

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

"...I should not be promising you anything," he said quietly. "I have already failed you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I swore to you that I would watch after Kaia and Kathryn; that I would keep them safe," he said, shame lacing his voice. "...And I failed you. I did not keep them safe."

I took a deep breath. The thought of Kaia still brought fresh pain to me, but I was slowly learning to deal with it. "What happened with Kaia wasn't your fault...and it wasn't supposed to be changed, anyway." _...No matter how much I wish it could've been. _"And Kathryn's already pretty much fully healed. None of that was your fault. Don't you dare go beating yourself up over those things." He didn't answer, so I reached out and grabbed his arm. "Hey." Legolas finally looked over at me. "I trust you to keep your promises," I whispered, "but nobody's perfect. I'm not perfect, so I don't expect perfection from you. I will never stop trusting you, though."

Legolas' eyes still looked upset, but eventually he gave me a small smile. I leaned in and kissed him, which he happily returned. "Sometimes I wonder how I ever got so lucky," he said to me as he pushed hair out of my face.

I laughed a bit. "I guess we'll never know."

oOo

Kathryn's POV

It was now October third. Two days ago, the Last Debate had taken place, and already I was starting to prepare to leave for Mordor. I didn't know exactly when we were planning to leave yet, but hey. No harm in being prepared early, right? As I looked over the stuff spread out on my bed, I frowned, realizing that the only weapon I owned was my sword from Rohan. It was a good sword, don't get me wrong, but I felt like I needed more than just one lone weapon, especially for this upcoming fight we were heading into.

I barely even heard the footsteps coming into the room, so I nearly jumped out of my skin when two arms circled around my waist and a familiar tenor voice spoke into my ear. "Packing already?"

After a mini-heart attack, I looked over my shoulder and smiled. "Faramir! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I did not mean to. I assumed you heard me coming."

"Nope," I said. "I'm deaf."

He laughed, also looking over my things casually. "So you are riding with us, then?"

"Of course I am!" I said, slipping out of his hug to start putting things away. "I can't just sit here and let you have all the fun."

"And here I thought you feared battle," he said, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to the woman I knew from Edoras?"

I smiled and looked over at him. "She's still here...she's just not afraid to kill an Orc anymore." I started to turn back towards my bed, then paused. "...Though over nine thousand of them is a bit of a stretch."

Before I knew it, Faramir was back at my side, pulling me into a kiss. "You will not be alone," he said as he touched our foreheads together. "I will fight by your side, no matter what Sauron decides to throw at us."

For some reason, that didn't bring me much comfort. "...I don't want to lose you, though. Not when we just found each other again, after all this time."

"We will stay together," he said softly. "I promise."

"No matter what?"

"No matter what."

We remained in each other's arms, again in a comfortable silence, for what seemed like hours, relishing the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded us when we were together. _No matter what...I will not lose him again._

oOo

Legolas' POV

Two weeks later, on the seventeenth of October, our company set out from Minas Tirith and began the journey to the Morannon. We were certainly not a merry group, as no man wanted to draw any closer to Mordor than was necessary, but we had to. I would've preferred to remain in the shelter of the city with Erin than fight, but it at least brought me joy that she was riding at my side again, and not halfway across Arda like before.

I stole a glance at her as we rode across the Pelennor Fields, smiling to myself. _I still cannot believe she loves me, too. It seemed like there was little hope...only a fool's hope, that she would return my feelings...but she does. _The thought made my heart soar. Now I knew that every time I looked at her and saw her eyes shine, she saw the same in me. Every time she smiled, and I could not help but return it, she did the same with me. Every time I told her I loved her and meant it with all my heart, she felt the same way about me. It almost made me completely forget about the task at hand and focus solely on her...on us. Though she did have a point about my father against us being together, I was not worried about that in the least right now. The time to deal with that would come in the future, and when it did, I would put my full focus into defending her and ensuring that she and I would be happy together, at whatever cost. But now...all I needed now was to be with her and enjoy her presence.

As we rode onwards, she also looked over at me and smiled. I could see in her eyes that she had the same wishes as I, but they would have to wait until we could be alone again. "You ready to kick some Orc butt, Greenleaf?"

I laughed at the pet name she insisted on calling me by. "As always."

"Good. You're gonna need luck on your side if you want to do as well as me," she said sarcastically. We both laughed, and my smiled widened as she shot me a knowing glance, mouthing the words _'Le melon' _before nudging her horse a bit further ahead to ride with Kathryn. (I love you.)

As I watched her go, I felt a small jab in my back, and glanced over my shoulder to see Gimli shooting me a questioning look. "What was that about, lad?"

"What was what about?"

"That look she gave you. What did Erin say?"

I smiled even more, knowing full well that Gimli would never understand. "She said _'le melon.'_"

"And what does that mean?" I did not answer, which I knew bothered him greatly. "Fine, then. Keep your stupid elvish secrets."


	22. The Best is Yet to Come

**A/N: Well, I'm home sick today from school, so lucky you guys! You get another chapter! ;) Haha, I hope you guys like this one. I almost don't want to update again, just to prevent getting closer to the end of the fic. XD LOL! **

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Two

Kathryn's POV

By the second day of November, we'd set up camp for what Aragorn had announced would be the last time before we arrived at the Black Gate the next day. I'll be completely honest; I was a bit freaked out. We were riding right up to Sauron's front door! Who wouldn't be at least a little bit scared about that? _Chuck Norris, _I answered myself mentally. _He simply walks into Mordor._

In any event, we were camped out at the northern border of a land call Ithilien. I'd just finished setting up my stuff, and was currently sitting in the grass at the top of a hill just outside our group of men, thinking to myself when Erin came up behind me. "Well hey there, stranger." She plopped down next to me, stretching out her legs and leaning back on her arms. "How you holding up?"

I shrugged. "Well enough, I guess. You?"

"Same." It was silent for a few seconds until she spoke again. "You know what we haven't done in a long time?"

"What?"

She turned and smiled a bit. "We haven't sung." I smiled back as she started carrying the melody of one of our favorite songs. "Afraid it won't come 'round again...afraid to move on. Wishing I could go back when..."

I joined in with her on the next line. "...everything was easier and meaningful to me. Wanting all we left behind, like it's the answer. And hour glass we can't rewind...Holding back the life that I've denied for so long...Can I find my way to you?"

Then Erin switched to singing the harmonies as I continued with the melody of the chorus to the RED song. "And after all that we've been through; after all we left in pieces...I still believe our lives have just begun! 'Cause now the past can be our own, and I know you are the reason...I still believe the best is yet to come..."

We trailed off into silence, but then I started singing another song by Skillet, starting right at the chorus. "Stay up late and we'd talk all night, in a dark room lit by the TV light. Through all the hard times in my life, those nights kept me alive...We'd listen to the radio play all night...didn't wanna go home to another fight. Through all the hard times in my life, those nights kept me alive!"

Erin grinned as she recognized the song, then started singing one I'd never heard. "You wish you were someone else...Every night you fall to pieces...knowing you can't save yourself. I can see you, I can hear you. There's a place where the broken go...There's a room full of second chances. You're not stranded on your own! You're not...invisible."

"What song is that?" I asked.

"It's the chorus of 'Invisible' by Disciple," she said. "Good song.

I nodded, and we stopped singing random songs, falling into silence once again. "You know, I think that's what I miss most about home," I said. "The music. Don't get me wrong, I love it here in Middle-Earth, but...nothing will ever compare to stuff like going to Creation and Uprise with you and Kaia."

Erin smiled, recalling all the insane memories from stuff we'd been through as a trio back home. "Oh gosh, I'll never forget that. Pretzels as long as our forearms and a lemonade the size of my face..."

"You and Kaia unknowingly hiking up a mountain," I said, also beaming.

"Getting one of RED's drumsticks at their Uprise concert... Oh my word. Those were the best times of my life."

"Same here," I nodded. "That, and our epic air guitar, air drums, and air singing with Kaia."

She laughed. "Oh my gosh, I remember that! We were thinking about how to do all of that stuff backwards, right?"

"Yeah," I said, "and Kaia had her arm wrapped up around her neck to hold the 'microphone' right by her face. You were trying to strum the guitar at it's neck, and I was just...God, I have no idea what I was doing."

"You looked like you were stabbing something with the way you were holding your pretend drumsticks," Erin said. We both laughed for awhile. "That's what I miss most about Earth, man."

"What, my epic drum skills?"

"Yes," she said sarcastically. "Of course." I grinned. "But seriously...I'll miss the memories. All the crazy stuff we did together as friends. That right there is exactly what made us such a close trio. We did some of the stupidest, craziest, and most idiotic things you could think of...and none of us cared one bit."

"Haters gonna hate," I said, laughing as I used what was one of Erin's mottos for life.

"Exactly! Haters gonna hate!" she echoed. "Like when we went trick-or-treating that one year as My Little Pony characters, and then started belting the theme song at the top of our lungs as we walked through your neighborhood after like...midnight."

I laughed again. "Dude, that was so awesome."

"...Or when we scared the living daylights out of you when we played Slender at my one sleepover."

The smile dropped from my face. "Okay, no. That was horrible."

Erin burst out laughing again. "I still don't see how Slenderman scares you so much."

"I'm scared of everything, woman! How many times do I have to tell you that?"  
"Forty-two times," she said, making a 'if-you-know-what-I-mean' face.

"Dat reference, girl," I replied, making the same expression.

She just smiled knowingly at me and looked away, then exhaled. "I can't believe we've come this far. The final battle's gonna be tomorrow!"

I nodded. "I know. It's scary to think about. What are we gonna do when this is all over?"

My brown-haired friend didn't answer right away. "...I have no clue where I'm going yet. What about you?"

"Well...I'm assuming Faramir will want me to stay in Minas Tirith with him...but Aragorn's supposed to take over as king there, so I don't know where he'll want to go after that happens. We'll probably just end up staying in the city for awhile," I said. Then I looked over at Erin intimidatingly. "Wherever you go, you'd better keep in touch. I don't care if we end up on opposite ends of Middle-Earth, I will hunt you down if you don't write letters to me and visit often."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Of course I'll keep in touch, Kathryn. Why wouldn't I?"

"Good." We both looked at each other and smiled again. "And you'd better not die on me in this last fight, either."

"I'll try my best not to," Erin said.

I shook my head. "Do or do not. There is no try."

She laughed to herself at the quote. "I'll survive, Kathryn. You have my word."

oOo

Erin's POV

The morning of November third brought a thick, fearful atmosphere to our army. No one seemed cheerful at all as we packed up our small campsite and headed out, steadily making our way to the entrance of Mordor. I rode with Legolas and Gimli on my right, and Kathryn on my left, stealing subtle glances at the blonde when I could. It felt so weird to be able to say that we loved each other, but it was a good kind of weird. I just hoped all would go well at the Black Gate and he would survive like he was supposed to. I don't know what I'd do if Legolas died. I was confident that Kathryn would be okay, too, but one can never be too careful. Silently, I told myself that I'd keep an eye on them both and make sure all went as planned out there. As we rounded another bend in the path, my eyes widened. There it was...the Black Gate. Mordor. So close to us that I could almost touch it. _Oh my gosh...we're actually here._

The place sent of waves of fear, and I shuddered a bit just to look at it. Everything was just varying shades of black and grey, and the mountains were rough, jagged, and unforgiving. Two tall spires of the Morannon shot up out of the mountains' bases, reaching up hundreds of feet into the air with a nasty black crown of metal spikes around the tops. Even the gate itself was massive, looking to be at least fifty feet tall. I could see a faint red haze just barely peeking out over the jagged spikes that lined the top wall of the gate, signaling where Mount Doom was beyond the metal wall. As soon as you looked at it all, death was the first word to come to mind.

Despite how utterly evil the place felt, Aragorn bravely led our army out into the open field in front of it after having the majority of us dismount our horses and hide them away off to the side, behind a large rocky hill. I glanced up at that same hill, knowing that Frodo and Sam had first seen the Black Gate from that very spot several months ago. _At least I can be sure that they're okay._

Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Faramir, Kathryn, Pippin, Aragorn, Éomer and I all still rode on top of our horses, taking our positions on the front lines of the army. We stood there, silent for awhile, and my eyes moved along the top edge of the gate, scanning for the Orcs who should've been there as lookouts. "Where are they?" Pippin whispered from nearby.

Aragorn glanced at the hobbit briefly, then proceeded to nudge his horse forward, galloping right up to the gate. The rest of us on horses followed behind him, lining up together as a small group once we reached our leader. I glanced over at Faramir, who was gripping the flag of Gondor he was holding tightly, and Kathryn who was right beside him, then to Legolas, who met my gaze for a moment before looking to Aragorn as he spoke.

"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" he shouted, voice loud and commanding. "Let justice be done upon him!" For the longest time, there was no answer other than the light wind that made the Gondorian flag flutter. I swallowed as I looked up to the top of the Morannon, which was towering over us all threateningly.

Suddenly, there was a low rumble, then a clang, and finally the sound of creaking metal as the gate slowly split at the middle and cracked open, allowing just enough room for a single rider to slip through. I clenched my fists as I watched the Mouth of Sauron slowly ride towards us on his black horse. This had always been my favorite extended scene in the movies because of how emotionally powerful it was, but I hated this jerk all the same because of what I knew he would do. We all stared at him with distaste as he approached us, his thick black armor clicking together and then stopping as he halted a few yards in front of Aragorn.

"My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome." I physically flinched at his voice, which sounded like his vocal chords had been rubbed raw with the roughest sandpaper ever. He wore a tall, angular helmet that covered his entire face except for his abnormally large mouth, and the grey skin around it cracked and split open as he talked. He smiled sardonically at us, showing off his repulsive brown and yellow teeth. I almost gagged. "Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?" he asked as he scanned over our little band of people.

"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed," Gandalf said sternly, his hatred for this guy evident as he spoke. The Dark Lord's messenger scowled at the insult. "Tell your master this: The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return."

Surprisingly, the Mouth of Sauron didn't rebut, but instead laughed as he recognized the wizard's face. "Aha! Old Greybeard..." I tensed. "I have a token I was bidden to show thee." He reached into the depths of his cloak and pulled out none other than Frodo's mithril shirt, holding it high in the air for all to see. Shock, fear, and despair were the only words I could've used to describe the looks on everyone's faces as they stared at the shirt. If the Enemy had gotten to the shirt, then they'd gotten to Frodo, and if they'd gotten to Frodo...we were too late. Gimli inhaled sharply beside me, and I glanced over at Legolas, my heart breaking at the look of horror in his eyes.

"Frodo..." Pippin whispered. The Mouth of Sauron growled and roughly threw the shirt at Gandalf, who caught it and just stared at it for a moment in disbelief. "Frodo!" Pippin said again, louder this time. The cursed messenger roared again, satisfied by our reactions.

"Silence," Gandalf ordered.

"No!" My head snapped to the side, shocked to see that Kathryn was the one who had now cried out, tears sliding down her face as Faramir reached over to touch her shoulder.

"Silence!" the wizard said sharply, but even I could hear his voice wavering. Kathryn dipped her head and shuddered.

"The Halfling was dear to thee, I see." I turned and shot the worst glare I could muster at the Mouth of Sauron as he spoke. "Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host," he said with a twisted smile. He jerked his head towards the Istari, and the next words out of his mouth made me want to punch him more than ever. I felt Legolas' hand firmly grip my arm out of shock. "Who would have thought that one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf...he did." I looked over at the wizard, my heart aching as I saw a tear slide down his face. Pippin was on the verge of crying, too. _Ohhhhh, no. You don't make Kathryn, Pippin, __and__ Gandalf cry. Nooooo way, buddy._

"Hey!" I shouted, gaining the attention of the messenger. "Nobody asked you! Why don't you just go crawl back into your little worm hole and shut it? You're just another pawn of Sauron's anyway."

The Mouth of Sauron smirked again, making my hate for him burn even stronger. "A pawn, you say? Not so different from that annoying friend of yours, then." I tensed. "The one that you failed to protect. She was just another pawn in the Dark Lord's game."

I opened my mouth to retort, but I couldn't. The image of Kaia diving past me and getting shot in the chest replayed itself in my mind again, and my vision instantly went out of focus as fresh tears appeared in my eyes. I choked on my own words as I weakly responded. "...That...was her own decision."

"She had no purpose here...only death," he growled back at me. "It could have been you. It should have been you." I remained silent, unable to find my voice again. "Tell me, how do you think she felt when you made no effort whatsoever to save her as she died?"

That did it. I couldn't meet his gaze any longer, so I hung my head and let the tears fall. I heard his growls of satisfaction, and I knew I shouldn't let him see me cry, but I couldn't handle it. My shoulders shook as I sat there, feeling guilt slam into me like a train. _Why couldn't it have been me? I would rather it have been my life that was taken more than Kaia's any day. I'd give anything to have our places switched! _I bit my lip, desperately trying to calm down.

I felt Legolas squeeze my arm gently, and I looked up at him to see sympathy and pity for me written all over his face. "He lies to you, Erin," he whispered. "It was not your fault. Everything will be all right." I nodded, wiping at my eyes and turning forward again as Aragorn trotted forward to confront the corrupted creature.

"And who is this?" he snarled., mocking the man. "Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a king than a broken Elvish blade!"

At that moment, Aragorn let out a cry of fury, and in one fluid movement he whipped Andúril out of it's sheath, swung it high, and easily beheaded the Mouth of Sauron, the body of the thing tumbling off of his horse a second later. His horse snorted and fearfully bolted back through the gate, disappearing quickly.

"I guess that concludes negotiations," Gimli muttered. I nodded, finding it incredibly satisfying to see the messenger's black blood on the cold metal of the blade.

Aragorn turned around to face the rest of us, particularly Gandalf. "I do not believe it," he hissed firmly. "I will not."

Suddenly, the creaking of moving metal sounded loudly again, and we all looked up to see the Black Gate starting to open again, wider now. Aragorn turned around just in time to get a first look at the massive army of Orcs that were starting to march out from where they'd been waiting behind the gate, their war chants echoing loudly in the air around us. "Pull back...Pull back!" he ordered.

He certainly didn't have to tell us twice. Legolas shot me one more hopeful look before turning and riding back to where our army was gathered, and I quickly followed, along with everyone else. We dismounted our horses smoothly once we reached the other men, and they were led off to go hide with the other horses. I stood between Legolas and Kathryn, and pulled out the black blade of Kaia's that I possessed, gripping it firmly in my hand. Kathryn did the same with hers, and I noticed she had two knives strapped to her waist as well as having her other sword from Rohan. When I faced forward again, I let out a breath to try and calm my nerves. Sauron's army was _huge_. Easily a hundred times our size. The other men around me were frightened, too. I could tell.

Aragorn rode up to us, launching into his big speech. "Hold your ground! Hold your ground!" He galloped back and forth along the front lines as he spoke. "Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers and sisters!" I smiled to myself at that. "I see in your eyes...the same fear that would take the heart of me! The day may come...when the courage of men fails. When we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!" He trotted right past us, looking each of us in the eyes. "An hour of woes, and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight!" I squared my shoulders back, motivated again by his words. Aragorn centered himself in the front again and stopped moving. "By all that you hold dear...on this good earth, I bid you STAND! MEN AND WOMEN OF THE WEST!" He raised his sword high in the air, and it was answered by the ringing of hundreds of others as we all copied him. I held Kaia's blade up, pulling out my own elvish one at the same time as Aragorn's horse reared up confidently and turned to face the oncoming evil.

oOo

Legolas' POV

Not even a few minutes after Aragorn's speech, the Orcs had us surrounded. I could see the scarred and snarling faces of those who were at the front, and glared right back at the enemies that jeered at us on all sides. We were hopelessly outnumbered, but would fight them nonetheless. Even if Frodo and Sam had failed, I would rather die fighting for freedom than anything else.

Beside me, Erin sighed. "...This is it."

I looked over at her questioningly. "This is what?"

"The final battle," she replied, eyes never leaving the army before us. "The one that'll make or break us."

"No turning back now," Kathryn agreed from beside her.

"That matters not," I said, and she turned to look at me. I stared back into her beautiful green eyes. "We will fight, despite all odds...and I would never wish to fight alongside anyone else than you," I added quietly, just for her. Kathryn may have heard it, as she momentarily glanced my way, but only Erin understood the meaning that my statement held. She blushed the tiniest bit, then subtly inched closer to my side until our bodies touched so she could secretly slip her hand inside my own.

As the last of the Orcs took their places, Gimli spoke up from my other side. "Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf."

I glanced down to my left, smiling. "What about side by side with a friend?"

The dwarf I had come to know so well through all our adventures returned the smile a tiny bit. "Aye. I can do that."

Suddenly, a roar from deep within the confines of Mordor caught my attention, and I turned my head forward again to see the Eye of Sauron shining a blindingly bright light down on us. I squinted and leaned back a bit, uncomfortable under the Dark Lord's intimidating stare. He seemed to be staring at someone in particular, and I craned my neck a bit to see past Aragorn, but then looked to my friend, brow furrowing in confusion as he lowered his sword and stepped forward.

"What's he doing?" I heard Kathryn whisper. No one answered her.

Time seemed to slow as my friend simply stood there, staring straight ahead at the flaming eye. Finally, he turned around, and it was at this moment that Erin released my hand (regrettably). He smiled faintly at us, then spoke the two words that would set the battle that would forever change our lives in motion. "...For Frodo.

**A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand cliffhanger. I LOVE YOU ALL *trollface***


	23. The End of All Things

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Three

Erin's POV

"...For Frodo." With that, Aragorn turned around and ran straight towards the wall of Orcs, his velvet cape rippling in the wind behind him. Brave little Pippin was the first one to react, giving a loud battle cry as he charged forward, moving as fast as his little legs could carry him. A second later, the rest of our army echoed his shout, and I broke into a run with everyone else, preparing to take the Orcs head on. Legolas, Gimli, Kathryn, and Faramir were right at my side, and together we pulled ahead at the front, weapons at the ready. I screamed in fury as I ran, willing my legs to move faster until I was even ahead of Legolas for a few seconds. Before we were even halfway across the ashen field, the elf was already shooting at several enemies, bringing them down. Pippin was easily lost in the crowd behind us, but I didn't worry about him. Adrenaline replaced the blood in my body as I collided with the first Orc, swinging my elvish blade high in the air and knocking the weapon clean out of his hand as I cut a deep gash into his chest. We slammed right into the Orc's ranks, driving them back several feet, and I moved my two main weapons with deadly accuracy as I worked my way through the massive crowd.

"Erin!" I glanced to my left for a quick second as I stabbed one of my opponents in the chest with Kaia's blade and saw Legolas shove past a bunch of Orcs in order to reach me. He pressed his back against mine, and more energy shot through me at his touch, fueling me to fight even harder. I shouted in fury as I crisscrossed my swords and shoved the Orc in front of me backwards with all the strength I had, effectively slamming him into a friend of his and tripping them both. I then pounced on top of the two, showing no mercy as I slit their throats simultaneously.

I then heard a ferocious roar behind me and turned around to see two big, burly Orcs come lumbering up to me, their abnormally large fists about the size of my head. I showed no fear, only snarling at them in response as I ran up to meet them, moving quickly to carve open the gut of one before engaging in a short one-on-one battle with the other. He swung a punch at me, and I ducked, nicking his lower, unprotected calf before jumping back up. He swung his fist again, and this time he hit me in the arm. I winced, knowing there'd be a bruise there later from the impact, but shrugged it off. "HEY! YOU DON'T HIT A GIRL!" I yelled at him before cutting off the arm he'd punched me with.

As soon as he was dead, though, three more smaller, but more agile Orcs took his place. They sneered at me, and one lashed out with a mace. I tried to move out of the way, but was surrounded by enemies and allies on all sides, and could only move about half a step to the right. I avoided taking a direct hit to the chest, but managed to get a nasty scrape on my left shoulder. The sight of my scratched skin made the Orc smile sadistically, to which I punched him in the face, knocking him out. His two friends were much easier to take on, and I had them both killed in about ten seconds flat.

"Erin!" I heard Legolas shout again. I looked around as I continued to fight, and finally spotted his blonde head standing out among the rest, about five Orcs away. We kept getting separated.

"Legolas!" I shouted back, noticing an Orc coming up behind him. He clashed blades with a different one, trying to find an opening to attack. Without thinking, I screamed and lunged forward, stabbing the two Orcs that were in front of me in the backs and then drilling my elvish blade into the third Orc's skull, just as he was about to axe Legolas across the back.

He turned around just as his unseen opponent fell to the ground and nodded. "Thank you," he said curtly.

"No problem," I said, pausing to turn and slice another Orc rather violently across the chest before looking back to him. "Maybe we should try to stick together a bit harder."

"Good idea." It surprised me when he suddenly linked his arm around mine in the middle of the fight.

"Uhh...you sure-" I knocked the dagger out of another Orc's hand and kicked his legs out from under him "-that's a good idea? We'll both only have one arm!"

"It is worth a shot," he said before relaxing his tight hold on me for a moment to spin out, stab another Orc, then spin back. "I do not want to risk getting completely split apart."

A sudden idea popped into my head. "Then let's put this method to good use! Link your other arm to mine and hold on tight!" He did so, and just as another Orc walked up to me, I took a huge jump off the ground, leaning back as Legolas leaned forward. This easily lifted me into the air so that I could kick him in the head with both feet, sending that guy down. Legolas then set me down, and used the momentum to perform the same stunt with an enemy of his. My legs shook slightly under his weight, but I was thankfully able to hold him up for a few seconds before he lowered himself to ground level again.

"That worked well!" he shouted to me over his shoulder. Even though he wouldn't see it, I nodded in response before unlinking one arm and lashing out at another three Orcs nearby.

I was so focused on fighting and staying with Legolas that I almost completely forgot about the rest of our buddies that I should've been looking out for. When we had a moment, Legolas and I turned in to face each other, and I looked at him seriously. "Where's Kathryn?"

oOo

Kathryn's POV

Faramir and I were able to stick together pretty easily for awhile at the beginning of the battle. I stuck to the simple method of just hacking my way through every Orc I saw, not really intending to go for some style points (though I did have my 'like a boss' moments here and there). We fought side by side really well, and I was impressed with his skill. After all, I'd never seen him actually fight before...I'd just always assumed he'd been good.

I slashed an Orc across the face with Kaia's blade while completely impaling another one on my normal sword at the same time, yanking both weapons free and kicking my now dead enemies away. With a quick spin to the left and a slash downwards, I chopped off the arm of one more Orc before pausing to look up at Faramir, who'd just slammed the blunter side of his blade into an enemy's skull. "How you doing?" I shouted to him over the noise of the battle around us.

"Well enough!" he shouted back, pulling me behind him and killing off something that had been trying to pull a sneak attack on me. I returned the favor by stabbing, slicing, and beating up some of the Orcs on his side before switching positions with him again.

Just then, there was a deep growl from behind me, and I turned around just in time to get a fist to the face. I fell down and rolled a couple feet away, feeling blood dripping from my nose as I swore and got back on my feet. I clashed blades with the same Orc once before beheading him, feeling satisfied as he dropped to the ground. I looked around wildly for Faramir, but panic shot through me when I didn't see his familiar strawberry-blonde head anywhere nearby. "FARAMIR!" I screamed, starting to make my way through the mass of black and grey again. "FARAMIR!" I heard ear-shattering screeches from above, and looked over my shoulder to see that the Nazgûl had now decided to show up, preparing to dive down and attack from above. I saw one of them swooping in my general direction and freaked out, preparing for the worst.

Suddenly, the screams of the Nazgûl were blocked out by the more majestic cries of some other creature. As I continued to fight, I first thought _"Oh God, we're totally screwed." _However, my fear turned into confidence when I heard a small voice that could only be Pippin's shout out from nearby. "The Eagles are coming!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an enormous brown thing fly overhead, and then heard pained squeals from the Nazgûl's Fell Beasts as they crashed into each other, but was too focused on the Orcs around me to be paying much attention. I slashed back and forth across the stomachs of two Orcs quickly, smiling in satisfaction to myself as they fell down.

That smile didn't last long, though. Just as I turned back around, I heard the shouts of others around me to move, and my eyes widened in horror as my vision was completely blotted out by a huge mass of grey scales. Before I knew it, my sword had fallen out of my hand, and I was shooting upwards, hundreds of feet into the air, the talons of a Fell Beast coiled tightly around my chest. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I struggled to free myself, but it was no use.

_"Foolish girl. It is hopeless for you now. You will die at my hand." _That voice...I knew that voice! As the Fell Beast turned sharply to the left, I looked up to see none other than the Lord of the Nazgûl, the very wraith that I'd wounded on the Pelennor Fields, riding proudly atop the giant flying lizard, staring down at me with an intensity that made my head pound.

"You!" I shouted, struggling even more. "You're supposed to be dead!"

He cackled evilly. _"Am I now? I think your future is less fortunate than mine now, girl."_

I growled and desperately reached down for the knife I'd stored inside my boots. As my fingers closed around the handle of it, I prayed desperately in my mind that my insane idea would work. "That's what you think!" In one swift motion, I whipped out my secret weapon and jammed it down deep into the foot of the massive beast that was holding me. It screeched in pain and released its grip just enough for me to wriggle out, get my feet under me for half a second, and then take a flying leap towards the body of the thing. It was the scariest thing I'd ever done in my entire life, but...it somehow worked. I managed to crawl up onto the back of the thing, barely having time to calm down before the Witch-King turned on me.

_"You foolish mortal!" _he hissed. _"What do you possibly think you can accomplish? You will not defeat me!" _He pulled out his own massive blade out of seemingly thin air, and luckily I had Kaia's blade still in it's sheath, so I pulled that out as well, black clashing against black as he swung ferociously at me. My heartbeat pounded in my hears at a hundred miles a minute, and I cringed as he pushed even harder, screaming in fury and making me want to claw my ears off.

The pressure on my arms lifted for one second before he swung at me again, and again I was just barely able to block. I had no idea where the Fell Beast was going anymore. All I was concerned about was figuring out how to beat this guy without falling to my death far below.

When I blocked for a third time, the Witch-King was seriously pissed off. _"Insolent little wench!"_ he sneered. I could feel anger radiating from him. Without warning, he swung his blade at me harder than ever before, and the force was so great that I lost my grip on where I'd been sitting, tumbling backwards down the spine of the Fell Beast. I screamed louder than ever before.

oOo

Erin's POV

When the Nazgûl started attacking us, I had honestly paid little attention to them, instead choosing to focus on my groundwork. It seemed impossible to beat all the Orcs, no matter how good Legolas and I were doing. The adrenaline I'd had at the start of the battle was wearing off...I could tell. I was slowly, but steadily growing more and more fatigued as the minutes passed, and in awhile I knew I wouldn't be able to fight anymore. I twirled my blades in my hands and blocked a double strike from an oncoming Orc before kicking him in the gut to stun him, followed up with a stab in the heart.

All of a sudden, I heard an incredibly loud scream from...above me? _But that doesn't sound like a wraith...it sounds like a woman! _A million possibilities started instantly forming in my mind, but none of them were as horrifying as what I saw when I looked up.

One of the Fell Beasts was swooping back and forth, lower than the rest, though still far up in the air. The Witch-King of Angmar was its rider, holding his flaming sword in his hand. And Kathryn, my only remaining Earth friend here, was clutching desperately onto the beast's tail, screaming for her life as she struggled to keep hold on the thing.

My jaw dropped, and I completely lost focus on the battle around me. "KATHRYN!" I screamed back, pushing and shoving my way through the crowds; ignoring Legolas' cries for me to come back. "KATHRYN!" _NO! No, please! Not her too!_

oOo

Kathryn's POV

I was beyond terrified as I gripped the tail of the Fell Beast, screaming. _Oh my God, I'm gonna die! I'm so gonna die! _I'd dropped Kaia's sword, and had nothing but the two short knives on my hips to rely on, but now I couldn't even reach those. The tail swung back and forth with every turn the monster made, and it took all I had just to keep my grip on the scales of that thing. I didn't dare look down. No way.

I heard another hiss and looked up to see the Witch-King staring me down. I shuddered as his sword burst into flames. _"Give up, girl. It is over. The world of men will fall...All will come to ruin." _If it was even possible, he seemed suddenly more powerful than before. I didn't respond, to afraid to move a muscle. _"You have failed." _I pressed my face downward into the slick scales of the Fell Beast, my arms wrapped tightly around it still. _I'm done. I'm as good as dead. There's no way I can get out of this. I...Faramir...I'm sorry. Erin...I'm so sorry. _Tears leaked from my eyes as I raised my head one last time, waiting for the final blow as the Witch-King raised his fiery sword to strike me down.

...But it never came.

Just as I thought I was done for, the Fell Beast suddenly roared in pain, and I looked down slightly to see that three sleek white arrows had hit it just below the heart. My heart swelled. I knew exactly who had shot those arrows without even having to look down.

Realizing that this was my only chance at saving myself, I quickly crawled up the remainder of the tail, still shaking, continued on up the beast's back, and pulled out one last dagger from its sheath. The Fell Beast hovered in midair in its last few seconds among the living, and I used those seconds quite wisely as I took a seat in front of the Witch-King. "Sorry, buddy. Fate's on my side this time." With that, I threw the dagger as hard as I could, hitting him directly in the face, with the knife sinking in all the way to the hilt.

The Witch-King shrieked in agony, and I watched as he folded in on himself slowly, screaming and wailing in pain all the while. Finally, just as the Fell Beast started to fall from the sky, he deflated like a balloon. The Lord of the Nazgûl was no more. I pressed my stomach flat against the back of the Fell Beast, praying that the ride down would be fairly smooth.

oOo

Erin's POV

I slid my bow back into its proper place, the roar of pain from the Fell Beast directly above me incredibly satisfying. I quickly moved out of the way, beginning to slash through Orcs once again. I had lost Legolas some time ago in the chaos, and seriously hoped that he was okay. I couldn't have let Kathryn die, though. I had to intervene.

As I held my blades up defiantly to an approaching Orc, though, it stopped short, jerking back as if it was suffering a heart attack or something. I kept my weapons raised warily, but watched as the thing looked around wildly for a moment before finally turning to face Mordor for a moment, screaming in fear, and then blindly running right past me without even trying to cut me down. Several other Orcs did the same thing, and for a moment I was hopelessly confused. _What's going on?_

And then came the scream. Not the scream of a man, woman, or Orc...but a scream from the very depths of Mordor itself. A scream of pure, absolute fear.

It came from Sauron.

My jaw dropped nearly to the ground beneath my feet, and my arms fell to my sides as I witnessed the crumbling of Barad-Dûr. The ancient black stone that had served as the Dark Lord's fortress for an entire age, was cracking and falling to ruin. Sauron's eye of fire withered up, flicking back and forth as his worst nightmare suddenly became reality. His roars of fear and sorrow echoed all across the lands, and I'd never felt more joy in my entire life as I watched him fall. Frodo and Sam had done it. They'd finally done it! The Ring was destroyed!

The black tower continued to cave in on itself, as did the rest of the Land of Shadow. Every horrible thing that the servant of Morgoth had ever created was falling apart, and a smile slowly spread across my face as I stood there, awestruck, witnessing the greatest event in all of Middle-Earth's history. The Great Eye shrunk quickly, and before the tower of Barad-Dûr had even completely fallen, the eye exploded with one final shriek. A massive shockwave shot across the entire land, completely vaporizing anything that had previously been there. "FRODO!" I screamed wildly, thrusting my sword high into the air and still beaming. "FRODO!" I jumped up and down like a little kid on Christmas Day. "They did it! Frodo and Sam did it! WE WON!"

I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder, and turned around to see Kathryn standing right behind me, making my smile widen even more. We screamed and hugged each other instantly, spinning around and smiling like idiots. "THEY DID IT!" Kathryn shouted. "IT'S OVER!"

"Yes!" I cried, tears forming from how happy I was. "Yes! It's done! Sauron's gone forever!" We let each other go for a moment and watched as the shockwave caused the very Earth that made up Mordor sink away into the ground, creating a sudden abyss just in front of us. Orcs scattered everywhere, fleeing for their lives, but most of them were swallowed up before they got onto solid land again. The foundations of the Black Gate were destroyed too, and within seconds the Morannon was completely demolished. Everything was just gone. Gone forever!

When Mount Doom exploded, though, the tune instantly changed. Kathryn's face immediately fell. "F...Frodo? Sam? NO!" She started crying as we watched lava spew everywhere from the volcano's top. "No! They can't be gone! Not now!"

I hugged my friend tightly. "Kathryn, no! They're not gone! They survive!"

She looked up at me worriedly. "...What?"

"They survive!" I said, still grinning. "Frodo and Sam will be fine. I'm more concerned about you. How in the world did you survive that fall?" I looked around for the corpse of the Fell Beast, but it was nowhere to be seen. "What happened to the Witch-King?"

At the mention of that, the smile returned to her face. "Oh my gosh..Erin, I beat him! I defeated him just after you shot the Fell Beast!"

My jaw dropped again. "What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah!" she said, nodding excitedly. "I did it! He's gone! And then I just held on tight to the Fell Beast when it fell out of the sky. I've got bruises and scrapes here and there, but nothing too bad."

I looked her over, smiling. "Well, look at you! I feel lame compared to you now! You totally kicked butt!"

She laughed. "Thanks." Her eyes then flicked behind me for a second, and she smiled again. "Legolas! You're okay!"

I blinked. _Legolas? Oh my gosh, Legolas! _I instantly spun around and beamed at the elven prince who stood before me, looking just as happy as I did. "Legolas!" I squealed. "We won! It's over!" I hugged him tightly, but my heart wasn't quite satisfied with just that.

He laughed. "Yes, Erin! We-" I cut him off by slipping out of the hug and pulling him into a deep, long kiss, more passionate than ever before. My stomach was filled with butterflies as his hands slipped up behind my neck and into my hair, and my own laid gently on his shoulders and chest where I could feel his pulse.

"Woah!" We both pulled out of the intense liplock to see Kathryn staring openly, looking totally lost. "Wha...Who...When did this happen?" She gestured wildly to the two of us, and I laughed. "How come I didn't know about this?! You've got a lot of explaining to do, woman," she said, narrowing her eyes at me.

Someone coming up behind her caught my eye, and I smirked a bit. "I think there's someone else you'd rather be talking to first."

Kathryn turned around for a second to follow my gaze, and her smile also doubled in size as Faramir came running over to her. "Faramir!" she shouted, overjoyed as she ran to him.

I laughed and turned back to my own love. "She's so easily distracted."

Legolas laughed too, his hands circling around my waist as he kissed me again. "And you are not? I thought I might have never seen you again when you ran off like that earlier.

"But I'm here now, aren't I?" I teased, twirling one of his blades around my fingers.

"You are," he said softly, "unharmed. And that is all that matters to me."


	24. A Fresh Start

**A/N: Hello hello hello! :D Welcome back! How've you guys been? Hopefully everything's going well for you all. :3 I've been in a good mood lately...though on the inside I cry every time I have to update this now, because I know it'll only be like...3 more chapters until this fic is over. ;A; I'm so gonna cry when I update this for the last time. On a semi-unrelated note, OH MY WORD. Over 180 reviews?! You guys are crazy. O_o I love you all so much! 3 That being said...can we shoot for hitting 200 by the time this fic is over? I think we can do it. :D That would be so cool! :D **

**Okay, I'll stop begging now. XD On with the fic! **

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Four

Kathryn's POV

Not an hour or two after the Fall of Sauron, Gandalf had returned from flying across the ruined landscape of what was once Mordor on the Great Eagles, bringing Frodo and Sam with him. The hobbits were still alive, thankfully, but they looked horrible. They were both almost unnaturally thin, and their once normal-colored skin had to have been covered in at least seven different layers of dirt and grime. Their clothes were ripped and tattered, and all they wore were their white undershirts and brown pants. The bottoms of their feet were black as tar, and they were both completely unconscious when Gandalf brought them to us. I felt so bad for them, knowing how much they'd suffered to complete their task...but it was done. It was over now. We could all finally live in peace.

After Frodo and Sam had been discovered, it took another hour to round up what remained of our army. We'd lost several in this last final battle, but the fight at Minas Tirith had been much worse. I stuck to following Faramir around as he figured out what our casualties were, and also helped the injured get back on horses so that they could get to healers faster. After we'd dealt with the aftermath of the war as best as we could, we pulled everybody together and started the journey back to Minas Tirith. Despite all the wounded, though, everyone's spirits were high on the way home. Sauron was finally gone. It still seemed surreal to me. Some of the things we'd gone through as a whole during this war made it seem like we were destined to fail, but...we'd won. We'd actually won!

When we did finally arrive back in Minas Tirith, it was in the evening of December twelfth, under a full moon and a starry sky. We got quite the warm welcome, but we barely had any time to relax and just hang out before the planning of Aragorn's coronation began. Faramir had been perfectly okay with stepping down and handing the throne over to the rightful heir of Gondor, as he'd never been power-hungry like his father. After he gave up his position, the two of us spent as much time together as possible, enjoying the start of a peaceful age. I can honestly say that I'd never felt happier with anyone else. My only regret about our relationship was that it hadn't started sooner. So many nights were spent with just the two of us talking, laughing, and then falling asleep in each others' arms when we stayed up too late.

It was on one of these nights that I was standing out on the balcony that jutted out from Faramir's private room, wrapped in a thick brown fur cloak that he'd gotten for me as a gift some time ago. Tonight it was snowing, and I stood outside as the soft flakes fell, coating the already white city in a thin blanket of snow that almost glowed in the moonlight and the flickering flame of the torches mounted on the walls. I heard Faramir step up beside me, and felt his arm slip around my waist a moment later. "...It looks so pretty," I said quietly, leaning my head against his shoulder.

Faramir sighed. "That it does. I always enjoy the snow here...we rarely get one as beautiful as this since we are so far south."

It was quiet for a minute until I spoke up again. "So what's your plan? Where are you gonna go after Aragorn becomes king?"

"I am still undecided," he said honestly. "A part of me wishes to linger here, in the city that I grew up defending and glorifying, but...a larger part of me says that this is not where I am meant to stay forever."

I nodded. "I understand. I don't have a problem with it if you want to go somewhere else. I'll just follow you wherever you go."

He smiled and kissed my forehead. "I would hope so. If you could choose to live somewhere in Middle-Earth, though, where would that be?"

I thought about that for a second. "I don't know. I don't think I want to go back to Rohan...and anywhere farther north than that seems too far away for me. I think I'd like to stay down here in the south, but I'm not sure exactly where."

"It's a start," he said, laughing to himself. I smiled back, and we stepped back inside the door frame of the balcony, standing there and watching the snow fall in yet another comfortable silence.

oOo

Erin's POV

I gently arranged the last of the dark green winter leaves and deep red berries around the head of Kaia's grave, then stood up and took a step back to view my handiwork. I remained there for awhile, but I didn't cry. I just silently stared at my best friend's grave, mourning to myself.

_I'll never really get over it,_ I thought. _No matter how hard I try, it'll still hurt. It always will. _I knew it was true. The pain of knowing she was gone was still incredibly hard to deal with, but I knew there was nothing I could do to change the past. What was done was done. Simple as that.

I was out in the Gardens of Minas Tirith by myself tonight, as Legolas was off taking care of some important thing with Aragorn, and Kathryn had gone out to dinner with Faramir. It was almost January now...soon the beginning of a new year. In April, it would be my three-year anniversary of arriving in Middle-Earth. I blinked. _Woah...that doesn't seem possible. Three years since...since I left behind the modern world I used to know and came here. _And in those three years, I'd been lucky enough to be able to experience my childhood obsession that was Lord of the Rings. _...That's so insane. _I was going to be twenty in March, too...that in itself was weird to think about. _So much has happened since that fateful day in mid-April. _

Then I remembered how Kathryn had been considering going back to our home world several months ago. _...Is that even possible? I don't think we ever found out. Not that I'm aware of, anyway. _Then came the big question: Did I want to go back? I thought about that. _If I had the chance to return home, would I take it? _

_ ...No, _I decided. _There really isn't any point, as horrible as that sounds. I haven't gone to school in years...my parents are gone, so they wouldn't be able to support me...my closest friends have probably long since moved on from my disappearance, too. And now I've got Kathryn, Legolas, and all my buddies here to be with. It just...it wouldn't be worth it. It would be so much harder to go home and pick up the pieces of my ruined life on Earth. I'm staying here, no doubt._

I looked up at the dark sky overhead, only a handful of stars peeking out in various places from behind the thick curtain of grey cloud. _I don't think I'd ever be able to leave Middle-Earth now, anyway. I belong here. _I smiled to myself before turning and starting the walk back to my room.

oOo

"Erin! Erin! Erin! Oh my God, Erin! Come here!"

I looked up from where I'd been reading a book while lounging on my bed in the broad sunlight of the afternoon on December twentieth to see Kathryn come barreling in, her cream-colored dress billowing out behind her as she ran and then skidded to a stop halfway across the room. "What?" I asked frantically. "What is it?"

"Frodo! He's finally awake!"

I dropped the book on my mattress and grinned. "Seriously? Oh my gosh!" I jumped to my feet, smoothing out the skirt of my pale green dress and taking off after Kathryn, using her as my guide as we darted through the citadel, dodging several random guards in the process.

As we flew past one of the doors, I screeched to a halt, doubled back, and poked my head inside. "Hey! Blondie!"

Legolas turned around from where he'd been talking with Aragorn, smiling broadly when he saw me. "Erin!" He immediately came over and greeted me with a kiss. _"Manen naly__ë__, meleth n__í__n?" _(How are you, my love?)

I shook my head. "I'm not important right now. Frodo's awake! Come on! Aragorn, you come too!" I shouted back into the room before grabbing Legolas' hand and breaking into a run again, quite literally dragging him behind me.

He just laughed. "Is he now? That certainly is important news."

"Well, duh!" I called over my shoulder, smirking. "Did you think I was running through the hallways just for fun?"

"You would never do that. You hate running."

"Exactly!" We both laughed that time, and I slowed as I rounded the last corner to see Faramir and Kathryn slip inside a room together. I caught my breath and smiled up at Legolas, giving his hand a squeeze before following them in.

As soon as we entered the room, I saw Frodo sitting up in his bed, his blue eyes looking happier than I could ever remember. "Erin! Legolas!" I saw his eyebrows raise slightly in question when he saw our hands entwined, but he just gave me a look that said 'I knew it!' I laughed, as did Legolas, and a moment later the new king of Gondor stepped in. "Aragorn!"

I glanced behind me as he stepped up beside Legolas, smiling happily at the Ringbearer. Gimli clapped and cheered from where he stood beside me, and Gandalf was also laughing. Pippin was bouncing around and flailing on top of Frodo's bed, entertaining us all as his mouth ran a mile a minute to fill Frodo in on all he'd missed. A moment later, the dark-haired hobbit's gaze flicked back to the doorway, but he expression became slightly serious again for a second until he gave a small smile. I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Sam, and when the chubby guy stepped up beside Faramir and Kathryn (who were next to Aragorn), I smiled at him.

After a minute or so of simply laughing and smiling at each other, Gandalf sighed. "Well...here we are. The Fellowship of the Ring, finally reunited."

"Save for a few," Legolas corrected him politely.

The wizard nodded, becoming solemn suddenly. "I believe a moment of silence is in order for those who fell from our company," he said. We all bowed our heads, and I leaned a bit closer to Legolas. "Merry, Boromir, and Kaia were all brave, courageous, and loyal to the very end," he said quietly, "as were all others who gave their lives in the fight for freedom." My mind instantly thought of Haldir and Éowyn. "May the Valar treat them well in the Halls of Mandos." I raised my head briefly to meet Frodo's gaze, and he looked at me with a sudden sadness in his eyes. I only nodded to confirm the bitter truth.

"There can be no victory without sacrifice," Aragorn said, breaking the moment of remembrance. We all nodded in agreement.

"But a victory it was indeed," Gandalf said, smiling again as he looked back to Frodo. "All of Middle-Earth is saved by your efforts, Frodo and Sam."

I saw Sam redden a bit, and he looked down at his feet. "Oh, it wasn't that big of a deal..." he muttered.

I laughed. "You only carried the One Ring of power all the way to Mordor, after all," I said with a wink. Sam smiled in return.

Frodo then spoke up, looking at my other best friend. "I don't believe we've met," he said. "I'm Frodo Baggins."

"So I've heard. Kathryn," she replied, smiling at him. "I got into this whole mess after you two started the journey to Mordor alone." Frodo nodded.

Sam then turned to her and bowed a bit. "Samwise Gamgee, m'lady."

Kathryn smiled. "You don't have to bow, Sam. It's no big deal."

Sam's brow creased a bit, and his gaze flicked between Kathryn and I before he said anything. "...You two know each other, don't you?"

Now it was our turn to share a look, and we both laughed. "You have no idea," I said.

oOo

_Three months later..._

I grabbed the last few locks of stray brown hair and stuck them in place before finally standing up from where I'd previously been sitting and looked myself over in the full-body mirror, nodding in satisfaction. "Oh, Erin...you look lovely."

I turned and smiled warmly at Arwen. "I owe it all to you for letting me borrow your dress! I'm so glad you made it!" The dress Arwen had so graciously let me borrow for Aragorn's coronation ceremony was pure white and strapless, the top half made of a material that sparkled like stars when I moved. A simple deep purple sash had been tied around my waist like a belt, and a paler purple sheer strip of fabric was draped loosely around my shoulders to act as a wrap. I wore a simple necklace of pearls with one lavender gem in the middle, and Arwen had also helped me style my hair into two elvish braids that went around the crown of my head and formed into one at the back. The rest of my hair hung straight down, and I smiled again as I pulled on a pair of soft silver slippers. "You look awesome, too. Aragorn's gonna love it!"

The princess of Rivendell wore her standard pale green ensemble from the movies, her dark hair perfectly combed and arranged around her face. "I certainly hope so," she said, her smile growing. "Though I will admit, I am a bit nervous about what his reaction will be."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, come on! We both know that he's gonna flip tables when he sees you." She laughed a bit, and we both stood as someone knocked on the door. "You'll do great," I said, laying my hand on her shoulder to show my support before I moved away to answer the door.

I opened it and beamed widely. "Legolas! Elladan! Elrohir! Glorfindel!" I laughed as I gave hugs to the three elves that I hadn't seen in practically forever, then planted a kiss on the lips of the one I'd known the longest.

"Lady Erin," Glorfindel greeted politely. The twins nodded to me also, smiling.

I looked to Legolas again, who smiled and ran a hand over my braids. "...You look stunning," he whispered.

I blushed. "Thanks. So do you." He really did. His silver tunic seemed to glow in the daylight, and the matching circlet around his head made him look every bit like the prince he was. I couldn't help but stare at him for a minute.

"We should be going," Elrohir said as Arwen stepped up to the doorway behind me. Glorfindel handed her the banner with the White Tree on it when she moved past me and out into the hallway.

Legolas smiled at me again and stepped back, offering his arm and bowing. "My lady."

I laughed, playing along as I curtsied to him. "My lord." With that, I linked my arm on his, and we were off, taking our time as we wove through the hallways of the citadel and eventually out into the open area on the top level. We slipped through the crowd, slowly but surely making our way closer to the front, and I stayed by Legolas' side the whole time. When we finally did emerge to the front, Arwen stayed behind with her father and brothers several elves behind us. I glanced around just as Aragorn walked out from inside the citadel, spotting Kathryn standing several yards away beside Faramir in a long dress with multiple shades of blue. She met my gaze for a second and smiled at me. I shot a wink in her direction, then faced forward and watched as Aragorn stood at on the steps, standing perfectly still as Gimli brought his crown on a velvet pillow over to Gandalf, who proceeded to place it on his head.

Everyone was silent, making the wizard's voice seem louder than normal. "Now come the days of the King!" he announced. Then he smiled down at Aragorn, saying a bit softer "May they be blessed."

Aragorn stepped up and turned around to face us all, his royal black cape sweeping behind him as he spun. "He really does look like he was meant to rule," I whispered to Legolas. He nodded in agreement. The crowd burst into applause and cheers, and I grinned.

When we quieted down a bit, Aragorn addressed us. "This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together rebuild this world, that we may share in the days of peace." More applause. Suddenly, white petals started raining down on us, signaling that the White Tree had flowered again, for the first time in ages. I laughed as one floated down and landed on my head, letting Legolas brush it off.

At that moment, Aragorn started to sing the song of Elendil, and I quietly sung along with his baritone voice, the smile never leaving my face as he started down the steps to greet the people. _"Et E__ä__rello...endorenna ut__úlien. Sinome maruvan...ar Hildinyar...tenn' Ambar-metta..." _The newly crowned king walked past Kathryn and Faramir, who bowed respectfully to him, and then to Éomer, who repeated the gesture. I looked up at Legolas for a moment, who nodded, and our group of elves stepped forward to meet Aragorn as he approached us.

He clapped a hand on mine and Legolas' shoulders, smiling. _"...Hannon le."_ (Thank you.)

I simply nodded in return, and Legolas also said nothing. After a second, I finally broke the silence. "There's someone else here to see you," I said with a knowing smile.

Aragorn looked confused for a moment, until he looked past the two of us. I stepped to the side with my prince and watched as Glorfindel also moved away so that Aragorn was staring at a pale green banner emblazoned with the White Tree of Gondor. But that didn't last for long. Slowly, every so slowly, the bearer of the banner peeked out from behind, and Aragorn's expression became one of complete shock as he saw Arwen standing before him. Elrond whispered something to her from behind, and she stepped forward, closing most of the space between them, but hesitating at the last second. Arwen looked down at her feet once he was close, to which he frowned and gently cupped her chin in his hand, lifting it so that she met his gaze. Another woman nearby took the banner from her. Silence passed for a few more seconds before he went in and kissed her passionately, lifting her up and spinning her around as he did so. Arwen returned it happily, and she laughed once they let go for a moment, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. We all clapped again in support for the couple.

I looked up at my own lover as he watched his two friends, and kissed him lightly without warning. He blinked, caught off-guard at first, but then kissed me back, smiling as I pulled away. "I love you," I said. And I meant it with all my heart.


	25. Unity and Separation

**A/N: WOAH! I hit 200 reviews! :D :D :D Thanks so much, you guys! (Especially to TheLadyElla for being the lucky gal to make it happen. ;D) I'll reply to my guest reviews here now...Sorry if I've been lacking on keeping in touch with you all. :) I try, but sometimes I just never get the chance. **

**TheLadyElla: Yeah! :D Thanks again for making me hit 200, and also for following this series to faithfully! *glomp***

**LOTR Geek: I'm sorry to say that no, there will not be a sequel to this series. I feel like making a sequel would drag this fic series out too much...And besides, it probably wouldn't be anything that interesting anyway. XD**

**On with the fic! **

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Five

Kathryn's POV

I scanned the area around me as I walked through the Gardens of Minas Tirith, looking for my favorite Gondorian. Faramir had told me to meet him here earlier this morning, but I hadn't seen him since. He seemed a bit on edge when I'd talked to him then, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I'd asked Erin about it, and she thought that maybe he was just nervous about something, but...what? He hadn't done anything bad that I should be yelling at him for (at least, not that I knew of).

After five minutes or so of aimlessly wandering around, I finally spotted him by the huge white marble fountain, sitting on the edge of it and staring at the ground. As soon as he head me approaching, he immediately stood up and smiled a bit. "Kathryn! There you are!"

"Hey!" I smiled back. "Sorry I'm late. What's going on?"

He gently took my hand in his own and pulled me to sit down with him. "I...I was wondering if we could talk."

I tensed on the inside. "Okay...about what?" _Oh no...don't tell me it's one of __those__ talks..._

Faramir hesitated before speaking. "...Now that Sauron has been defeated and Middle-Earth is peaceful once more...what is your goal?"

"My...my goal?"

"Yes," he nodded. "What would you like to do now?"

"Uhhh..." To be honest, I was totally unprepared to answer that question. _What do I want to do with my life? _"I don't really know. I'd like to just find a place we can move to, I guess."

"What about Ithilien?" he asked. "Would that please you?"

I looked up at him. "Isn't that where we stayed when we traveled to Mordor? That foresty place not far from here?" He nodded, and I thought about it. "...Yeah...yeah, that'd be nice. I like it there."

Faramir smiled, then swallowed nervously. _Why nervously? _"I'm glad to hear you say that," he said, "because not long ago I was able to purchase a house in the northern area for us to live in."

My jaw dropped. "...Seriously?! Oh my...Faramir! You didn't have to do that!" I squealed, hugging him tightly.

He chuckled and then slipped out of my grip. "However...there is one small problem."

I frowned. "What?"

"...The house is too big for only the two of us to share alone," he said. "It was intended for...for a family." He slipped his hand into his pocket, and I looked down, my eyes nearly popping out of my head when he pulled out a thin gold band with a sparkling diamond in the center. Several more were embedded into the band itself, growing steadily smaller as they went along. My name was engraved on the inside of the ring. "Kathryn...will you marry me so that we can start a family together?"

For the longest time, I was dead silent, my wide eyes flicking back and forth between the ring itself and Faramir, who had a slightly terrified expression on his face. I felt my face go red-hot, and I was in such shock that I could barely think.

_ OH MY GOD, JUST NOD. Nod, you idiot! _a part of me ordered. I came back to my senses and did no, nodding slowly at first, then more confidently. "...Yes...Yes!" I said, my voice cracking a little. "Faramir, I...I would absolutely love to marry you."

Relief visibly washed over him, and I almost laughed as he relaxed his tense shoulders, letting out a breath. He smiled as I held out a shaking hand, and slipped the ring into place on my left ring finger...right where it belonged. It fit perfectly. A second later, he pressed his lips up against mine, pulling me close. "...You have no idea how hard it was for me to ask you that," he said quietly, laughing a bit.

I grinned, the best feeling in the world building up in my heart. "You did great," I whispered back, kissing him again. "It's perfect."

oOo

Three months later, on June twenty-fifth, Faramir and I were married in the man hall of the citadel in Minas Tirith, and it was the best wedding I could've ever asked for. All my friends were there, Erin was my maid of honor (of course), the dress I had seemed like it had been made perfectly to fit me, the reception was great...and best of all, Faramir was now my husband. Life couldn't have been better. Aragorn and Arwen had gotten married the month before, too, on the first of May, so the mood in Minas Tirith was overall just...happy. Incredibly happy.

A few days later, on the twenty-ninth, I walked into mine and Erin's room to see her relaxing on the ottoman by the windowsill, drawing something on a piece of paper. I stepped up behind her a peered over her shoulder to see what it was, and smiled. "That looks great," I said.

She turned her head around to see me. "Thanks," she smiled. "It's taken me forever, but I'm almost done the sketch." It was a drawing of the Pelennor Field's horizon line, which looked spectacular now that Mordor's mountain ranges were no longer black and menacing. They were peaceful now, a normal greyish color that stood out against the bright blue sky. "So...how's life?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Do you really need to even ask that? I'm married now. Of course it's awesome!"

Erin grinned. "Yeah, you're right. I should've known."

"Actually, I came to talk to you about that," I said, pulling up a wooden chair that was nearby and taking a seat next to my best friend. "...Faramir and I were talking this morning, and he said that he just received a letter from the guy who used to own the house in Ithilien. He said that it's ready for us to move into now."

"Oh really?" Erin had dipped her head back down and was now consumed in her artwork again. "Cool."  
"Well...sort of," I said, sighing. "We decided to leave as soon as we could, so...we're moving out in two days."

Now Erin looked up at me again. "What? So soon?"

I nodded. Now for the hard part. "Yeah...I know. I wish we could put it off longer, but there's really no point. We've been sitting here as guests of Aragorn and Arwen for practically forever now, and Faramir promised him that we'd get our butts out of here at the first chance we got."

Erin was silent for awhile. "...Wow. So I guess...I won't see you for awhile after you leave, huh?" She sounded sad.

"...Yeah..." I said quietly. "I'll...I'll be gone." There were exactly four seconds of silence before we both stood up and enveloped each other in bone-crushing hugs. My voice shook as I spoke to Erin's shoulder. "...I-I'll miss you, bro."

She sniffled. "Yeah man. Same here." Silence. "You know I'll never forget you...or everything you've done for me in this crazy adventure. Ever." More silence. "...There's no way I could ever hope to pay you back."

At this, I smiled a tiny bit. "You don't need to. That's what friends are for."

"But...you're more than that," she said. "You're like a sister to me, Kathryn. You always have been." We pulled apart, and I looked at her, tears slipping down both of our faces. "And I...I've gotten so used to having you around all the time, I mean..." she trailed off.

"I know," I whispered. "It'll be okay." I hugged her tightly again, tears still rolling down my cheeks and into her dress. "We'll write to each other."

"And visit often," she added.

I nodded. "Very often." We separated again and just stood there, looking at each other like before. "I'll never forget you either," I said. "Always remember that."

She coughed a bit. "How could I not?" she said, cracking a smile. "We've been through way too much to forget about each other." Even more silence. "...I'd better be the first one you call when Faramir gets you pregnant. Got that?"

I laughed at her random statement. _Only Erin would ruin the sappy moment like that. _"You'll be the first to know," I said.

"And you know what you're gonna name him?"

"What?"

"Anthony Jr. or Ian Jr." We both burst out laughing.

"Totally," I said sarcastically. "I'll do it just for you."

She grinned. "That's the Kathryn I know."

oOo

Erin's POV

Two days later, she was gone, just like she'd said. Two days later I woke up late in the morning to see an empty bed next to me, and I cried. I cried because I was sad that my closest friend in all of Middle-Earth had moved away. I cried because I was happy that her and Faramir had finally found each other and were ready to spend the rest of their lives together. I cried because I was scared I'd never see her again. I cried because I was so nervous about where my own life was gonna take me. I cried for all those reasons and more.

At about noon, I finally got clean, dressed in a light periwinkle gown made of lots of layer of sheer fabric, and walked out of my bedroom as I finished twisting my long hair into a single braid that hung down my back. I walked down to the throne room and went up to Aragorn, who was sitting in his big fancy kingly chair, discussing big fancy kingly things with his new advisers and councilmen. He paused his conversation momentarily and looked to me when I came forward. "Good morning, Erin."

"Hey Aragorn," I said. "Have you seen Legolas anywhere?"

When I said this, something flickered in the king's eyes that I couldn't name, and he smiled a bit. "He was in the library when last I saw him," he replied.

"Thanks. Tell Arwen I said hi when you see her." He nodded, and I waited no longer before taking off in the direction of the library. When I made it there, it was almost dead silent in the huge room filled with books. The large stained glass windows were open and let warm summer air inside, and I could hear two things as I shut the main doors behind me: the birds singing outside, and another voice that I knew all too well humming softly to himself. I smiled and wove through the labyrinth of shelves and stacks of reading material until I turned a corner and found who I was looking for, the elf in question sitting in a comfortable looking chair by one of the open windows and casually flipping through the pages of a book.

I decided to mess with him a bit since I was coming from behind and he seemed to not have heard me come in, so I snuck up and grabbed his shoulders without warning, making him jump. "Legolas!"

He whipped around instantly, panic written all over his face, but when he saw it was me, he relaxed, rolling his eyes as I laughed. "Must you always do that?"

"Yes," I nodded, still giggling a bit as I stood over his shoulder. "Whatcha reading?"

"Nothing particularly interesting," he said, closing the book. "I was just looking for some entertainment."

I frowned. "I'm offended, Legolas. You didn't come to me?"

"No, because you are the most horribly boring person I have ever met."

I laughed. "Wow, love you too." He smiled and stood up, grabbing my hand. The two of us started walking out of the library together, aiming for nowhere in particular.

"So...I heard Kathryn and Faramir have left the city," he said as we exited the big room.

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, they left at the crack of dawn...or at least, that's what Kathryn told me the plan was. She wasn't there when I woke up, so I assume everything went according to plan."

"Are you doing all right?" he asked, and I couldn't help but smile shyly at the genuine concern in his voice and eyes.

"Yeah, I'm holding up," I said. "I'm upset, of course, but...you know. Just gotta deal with it."

Legolas nodded. _"Avo 'osto, meleth n__ín. _You will see her again someday." (Fear not, my love.)

"I know," I said. "I'm just being paranoid."

He smiled. "You do not need to be. I will always be here for you. Speaking of which..." He stopped walking, and I realized that we were now somehow out on the front lawn of the citadel, near the White Tree. "...I meant to ask you if you would feel comfortable returning home with me-"

"Legolas, I don't know," I said nervously. "I mean...I get that you want to go back to your people and all, but..." I hesitated before continuing. "...I really don't want to know what your father has in store for me."

"He will not harm you in any way."

"I don't think he'll care whether or not he's hurting your girlfriend."

"He will care when I tell him he is hurting my wife."

I blinked. _WHAT? Where did that come from?_ "...I...wait, what? What did you say?"

"Erin, you-"

"No, seriously," I said, "I don't think I heard you right."

Legolas looked at me with an intense longing in his blue eyes. "Erin..._Le no an-uir nín?" _(Will you be mine forever?"

I didn't know what to say. "...Legolas...I-I...I'm human!"

"I know that," he said with a small smile. "That does not change my feelings for you in the slightest, Erin. Marry me. Please. I would never have any other than you to be my wife."

I just stood there for a second, mouth open, but with no sound coming out. "...B...But...your father-"

"It does not matter what my father thinks," he said, gripping my arms gently and touching our foreheads together. "He is not the one who decides who my lover is. That is my choice, and mine alone." His tone changed to a softer one. "I have made my choice. What is yours?"

**A/N:...Don't kill me. XD CLIFFHANGER ARE GO! *leaps away***


	26. Not Such a Happy Ending

**A/N: Hey again! Just wanted to give you guys a warning: There's a big hurricane that's expected to hit my area early next week, and the weathermen are predicting major power outages everywhere, ones that may last up to a week or so. Sadly, this means that if I lose power, my laptop battery will only last about three hours before it dies, so I doubt I'll be able to update next week at all. :( **

**On another note, I'd like to talk to you all about my next upcoming fanfic. It's going to be a Pirates of the Caribbean series, OC inserts, and will be set up just like this one in the sense that each movie will be it's own separate fanfic. What do you guys think? Would you read it? :D It'll also be Will/OC, because there aren't nearly enough of those in the PotC section on here. ;) Not sure when I'll start it...hopefully sometime in November. :) And also, do you think I should write in first person or third person POV? Let me know what you all think! **

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Six

Erin's POV

I stared at Legolas for several seconds, totally caught off-guard. "I..." _This is impossible! He can't...I'm not... _I was sort of panicking on the inside. I thought for another minute before speaking, choosing my words carefully. "W-We can't jump into this without seriously thinking first," I said. "You know that." He nodded. "...And you're okay with marrying me, even though you know good and well that I'll die someday and you'll be alone?" He nodded again. I was silent for a minute, then exhaled in exasperation. "But I don't want you to have to deal with that, Legolas. I won't live forever, and I don't want you to have that fate." I looked at him sadly. "_You _would die of a broken heart. That's the last thing I want for you."

He sighed, a brief flash of sorrow on his face. "Yes, Erin. I know that." He paused. "...But no other could ever hope to make me fall in love as I have with you. Even if the years you will spend in Middle-Earth are short, I would rather share them together than let you go."

"Normally, I would agree, but that's not the only factor to think about. Like I said before, your father would never allow our marriage, especially since I'm not even an elf to begin with."

"My father does not choose who I marry, Erin. How many times must I tell you that? He will accept it."

"If you were marrying anyone else, maybe," I said. "But I guarantee you that he'll never want me to be his daughter-in-law. Not as long as he's alive. Heck, the last thing he ever heard from me was that I didn't respect him at all."

Legolas' eyes searched my own for a bit as he stood there, thinking. "...It is at least worth a shot."

"Legolas..."

"Erin, please. Come with me to Greenwood as my fiancée, and we can talk to my father about the situation. I will not rest until he accepts us. I promise." He squeezed my hand tightly. "...Just say yes."

I looked at him for even longer, contemplating everything that we'd said. Yes, I did love Legolas...with all my heart, but...the last thing I wanted was to see him get his heart broken when either I died or when his father completely forbade us from ever getting married. But on the other hand, if I said no...that would crush him way more than anything else. I sighed mentally. _This isn't gonna be easy either way, is it? _"...Okay. Let's give it a try. Yes, Legolas. I will marry you...if you'll have me." I smiled a bit and extended my hand, bowing my head to him a bit.

He grinned widely and kissed my knuckles before wrapping me in his arms. "Thank you," he whispered. _"Le melon." _(I love you.)

I tilted my head up and kissed him. "I love you too, Legolas. And I have faith in you." He smiled even more, and we stood outside in the front yard of the citadel for awhile longer before heading back inside to our own room.

oOo

That evening, we announced our pending engagement to Gandalf, Aragorn, Arwen, Gimli, Éomer, and all the others who still remained in Minas Tirith, to which they responded happily and with tons of excitement (though I'll admit that I felt so awkward being the center of attention suddenly). Legolas and I immediately made plans to leave for Greenwood, and I wrote a letter to Kathryn just before we left the White City to tell her about the news. A few days later, we'd gathered together everything we'd need for the journey north, and just like that, we were off.

It took us a few months to reach Legolas' homeland, and we passed the border of the massive forest on September sixth. I remember seeing it again for the first time in a couple years, and I was absolutely shocked. It certainly didn't look anything like the dark, creepy, nasty forest I'd been through before. The trees grew incredibly tall with their thick, smooth brown trunks, and their branches now grew freely and no longer twisted together, thousands of glossy, healthy leaves sprouted from their buds. Some of the trees had already started to change color from bright summer greens to varying shades of red, orange, yellow, brown, and everything in between. It was gorgeous, and even better to travel through.

Legolas' mood instantly improved once we reached the forest, and he became a lot more relaxed and happy now that he was back home. He'd been able to keep Arod as a gift from Aragorn, and rode beside him on a new pale brown mare with an auburn mane named Authiel that had also been given to me while in Gondor. We spent the days riding through the scattered sunlight that shone down through the canopy of leaves laughing hysterically and enjoying each other's company like never before. It was awesome, and for awhile I almost completely forgot about the issue that would arise with Thranduil.

...Almost.

On the day that we made it back to the settlement where the wood-elves lived within the forest, both of us had gotten more nervous and tense, though I was obviously more freaked out about it than Legolas was. My heart pounded in my ears as we approached the elves that guarded the gate, and I was absolutely terrified that they'd recognize me and not let me inside. That was another thing that I was worried about: the fact that the people living here would probably hate me as much as Thranduil would. I knew that they only would've heard about their king's side of the story if he'd made the announcement public, so even if Legolas and I did get married, it would take a huge amount of work on my part to gain the respect and trust of the other elves.

Thankfully, Legolas was able to get us by the first set of guards easily. He briefly introduced me to them, I greeted them in Sindarin, and that was it. Simple. We continued on through the gate and down the main street of the small elven city, and elves everywhere were overjoyed at their prince's return. We moved through the town slowly, with Legolas taking time to acknowledge almost everyone who called out to him, but I didn't mind. He had to stay on good terms with his people, after all.

The moment of truth came when we trotted up to the familiar guarded archway that led to the royal palace. Legolas spoke to them first, greeting his friends, then introduced me as he'd done before. However, this time one of the guards must've recognized my face or name, because as I nodded to him and smiled, he got a bitter look on his face. Legolas saw it, and then went on to explain that what had happened between Thranduil and I was a huge misunderstanding, but even so, the guard didn't seem to like me very much. They let us through anyway, though.

By the time we dismounted our horses and had them led away to the stables, my heart had dropped into my stomach, and I was shaking a bit out of fear.

Legolas stopped as we walked up the grand staircase leading up to the main double doors and laid a hand on my arm. "Erin, do not worry. Everything will be fine."

I swallowed thickly. "...Y-You don't know that."

"Erin, look at me." I obeyed, and he gripped both of my shoulders more firmly now. My muscles relaxed a bit at his touch. "I will not let him harm you. I swear." I nodded once to show that I understood, and we continued the climb up the final set of stairs. When we reached the double doors, Legolas told one of the guards to slip in and alert his father of his arrival, and the elf did so. Then he turned to me again. "Stay here," he said softly. "I will come get you in a few moments."

I nodded again. "Good luck," I whispered." Legolas smiled hopefully at me, and when the guard came out and nodded to him, he went inside.

Once he left, I listened intently to what was going on in the throne room, feeling awkward just standing there in the open with a bunch of guards trying not to stare at the random girl standing by their palace's front door. I heard Legolas greet his father, and Thranduil's loud, joyous laughter as he was reunited with his son. After that, the conversation faded into quieter tones so that I couldn't hear them for a moment, and I exhaled, brushing my bangs out of my face. All I could do now was wait.

oOo

Legolas' POV

As soon as I stepped inside the palace doors, I beamed widely. "Ada!"

My father stood up from his throne immediately, sharing the same grin as he all but bounded across the room. I met him in the middle, and we collided in a tight hug, laughing into each other's shoulders as we stood in the middle of the throne room, finally together again.

_"Legolas! __Í__on n__í__n!" _he cried joyfully. (Legolas! My son!) We embraced for several moments longer until he finally released me from his grip, stepping back and looking me over, then nodding in approval. _"Im gelir ceni ad l__í__n," _he said, still smiling brightly. (I am happy to see you again.) _"Manen naly__ë__?" _(How are you?)

_"Im maer, Ada. L__ëí__n glassen enyar amar." _(I am well, father. It is my pleasure to return home.) I then switched into the Common Tongue for Erin's sake, as I knew she was likely trying to listen for her cue. "Much has happened throughout the quest, Ada. I have so much to tell you."

"And I you," he replied. "The kingdom has had a great victory in your absence, Legolas. We finally succeeded in driving out the evil from Dol Guldur after Sauron's fall!"

At the moment, the day could not have gone any better for me. Hearing news of finally conquering the shadow that had been draped over the woods for so long was amazing. "That is wonderful!" I said, laughing. "I returned just in time!"

My father smiled and also laughed a bit. "Indeed you have. I cannot wait for you to tell me all about your latest adventure."

I took a breath. Now was the time. "Neither can I. There is one thing in particular that cannot wait for me to tell you any longer, however."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

I hesitated, wondering how to phrase it. "...During this incredible journey, I...I found the one who is to be my wife."

My father's first reaction was exactly what I expected it to be. His eyes lit up with excitement, and his smile (if possible) grew even larger. He let out another happy laugh, pulling me into a hug again and clapping me on the back. "Oh, Legolas! After all this time, you still manage to surprise me! That is exceptionally good news to hear!"

I nodded as he let me go. "Yes, and I have brought her here to introduce you to her."

"Well then, let us not delay any longer!" he exclaimed. "Who is my lovely future daughter-in-law to be? Go get her!"

I smiled a bit, then turned and quickly walked back to the entrance of the palace. I opened the door just enough to look out and see Erin standing there, and she still looked as nervous as ever. I stepped outside for a moment, gently grasping her hands. "Do not worry, _meleth n__í__n. _You will be fine." (...my love.)

She still looked uncertain. "...If you say so," she sighed. I smiled down at her, though I could not deny that I was also worried about what my father's reaction would be, but we had to do this. There was no way around it. I squeezed her hand one last time before opening the door a tiny bit again and stepping inside. My father still stood there, waiting.

"Ada..." I hesitated, willing myself to continue. "...This is she who I have chosen to marry. You have met her before," I added quietly as an afterthought. With that, I opened the door fully, allowing Erin to step forward and walk inside.

She looked more terrified than I'd ever seen her before, and I pitied her as she took a few tentative steps forward so that she stood in front of me. _"...Suilaid, Aran Thranduil," _she said solemnly, bowing a bit. (Greetings, King Thranduil.) I could tell she was holding her breath as she lifted her head to meet my father's gaze. I also watched him closely.

It was deathly silent in the large room for three seconds before my father reacted, and it was horrible. "...You..." he breathed. "...GUARDS! ARREST THIS WOMAN IMMEDIATELY!" Instantly, several elves rushed into the room, moving right up to Erin and pinning her arms behind her back.

"What? NO!" she screamed, trying to look over at me. I caught a glimpse of her horrified face. "Legolas!" She struggled against her captors, but it was no use. They were too strong for her.

"ADA!" I shouted, storming straight up to my father. "Ada, let her go!" I threw a glance over my shoulder and glared harshly at the guards. "Release her!" I yelled.

"NO!" my father bellowed in response. "Take that traitorous human to the dungeon at once! Get her out of my sight!"

"LEGOLAS!" Erin screamed louder as she was dragged away, tears streaming down her face as she kicked and thrashed about in an effort to get free. I ran forward to pull her out of her grasp, but was stopped just as my fingers brushed her arm by several strong hands holding me back. I could do nothing as my beloved was carried off to be taken prisoner in my home.

Still restrained by my own guards, I twisted around and tried to lunge forward at my father, shouting at him. "ADA! LET HER GO! She has done NOTHING!"

My father stared at me with a mix of disappointment, hatred, and utter rage in his eyes. "Nothing? NOTHING?! She stole from me, Legolas! She ruined our chances of repelling the forces of Dol Guldur much sooner than this! SHE CAUSED US TO LOSE SO MANY ELVES WHOSE LIVES COULD'VE BEEN SPARED!"

"You should never have wanted to take all the power of the Elemental Bands in the first place!" I yelled back, not caring about the other elves surrounding us. All I knew was a blind, burning anger towards my father for taking Erin away. "There was a reason that they were split up amongst the elven rulers, Ada! Because they were too powerful for one being to handle alone!"

"She lied to us!"

"She saved our realm!"

"She betrayed us!"

"SHE SAW WHAT YOU COULD NOT SEE!" I screamed. "All you could think about was saving everyone and being the hero! You were blinded by the power of the rings! If not for Erin, we would all be dead!"

"You know nothing of this matter!" my father argued. "She lied and stole from me either way! She betrayed us! She betrayed YOU! And now you come back telling me you've suddenly fallen in love with this infernal girl? She's not even an elf!"

"That doesn't matter! I love her all the same, and you cannot change that!" I finally shook the hands of the guards off of me and stepped forward intimidatingly. "I asked her to marry me, and she accepted! _I _chose _her_! I love her!"

My father glared at me icily. "Oh, no! You will not marry that damned woman while you live under my roof! She deserves to be executed for what she has done!"

"NO!" I shouted, dangerously close to striking him. "You will not hurt her!"

"And who would stop me?"

" I WOULD!" I yelled. "If you would not want us married in your realm, then I will leave our realm and take her with me!"

At this, my father narrowed his gaze. "You would not dare," he said. I gave no response, and we simply settled for staring each other down angrily for several long seconds before I broke it by turning swiftly and taking off in the direction of the dungeons. It did not take me long at all to reach the rather cramped lower levels and get down to where Erin was, my anger fading, but not completely disappearing.

When I located her, my blood boiled again. She sat in one of the empty cells, on the cold stone floor, hands chained together with shackles. My future _wife _in shackles. In my own house! I ran over to her and immediately dropped to my knees, her fingers sliding between mine as best they could through the metal bars of the cage. "Erin!"

"Legolas..." She was crying and shaking. "Why is this happening?"

"I am so sorry, Erin." My heart broke to see her in such a state. I felt completely useless. "I will get you out of here. Do not worry." Still she continued to cry, and I struggled to keep my own voice steady as I sat in front of her. "It will be all right." I kissed her through the gaps in the bars, then looked at her sadly for awhile.

"Legolas..." she whispered, "...I'm scared..."

"I know," I whispered back. "I...I will not let you stay here forever, Erin. I will save you from this. Trust me." She merely nodded. Having nothing more to say, I moved back and stood, and she did the same.

"I'll wait for you," she said softly.

I nodded and kissed her again before turning and running out of the dungeons, but did not go back to find my father. Instead, I went directly to my private bedroom and locked myself inside, unable to removed the image of Erin's terrified face from my mind as she'd been dragged off. I felt helpless, like I could do nothing. _But I must do something! I cannot allow my father to kill her! _I paced back and forth across the length of my room for the longest time, my thoughts to scattered to think straight. All I could think about was either my unbridled hatred for my father at the moment or my sorrow for seeing Erin held captive. _...I need a plan._


	27. Things Are Never That Easy

**A/N: Well, my area's predicted to lose power anytime now...so I figured I'd try and get one last chapter up before my laptop has to start running only on its battery. That'll last about 3 hours, so...hopefully I'll have enough time to write. ^^ Here we go!**

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Seven

Legolas' POV

I pushed open the heavy door to my father's office and stepped inside, letting it quietly swing shut behind me. I was uncertain of just how I wanted to start this conversation off, so I settled for simply standing tall and firm in the doorway to seem more intimidating when I spoke. "Father."

He did not even lift his gaze from where he was scribbling away on a piece of parchment. "Yes, Legolas?"

"You must let Erin go."

Still he refused to look at me. "Why? Convince me to give that sly little brat another chance."

I clenched my jaw at the insult, but still remained calm. "Because she has done nothing to deserve such punishment."

"And yet I distinctly remember her stealing the Elven Element Bands not a few years ago."

"She did it because she had to," I said. "The Elemental Bands were not meant for only one person to bear, and she felt guilty for ever stealing them from Galadriel and Elrond in the first place. You blackmailed her into helping you, so she tried to fix her mistakes."

Now my father lifted his gaze to meet mine, which I matched unwaveringly. "By betraying me? By stealing from myself, you, and the entire kingdom? She lied to you, Legolas! If she could not have trusted you to confide her plans in you so long ago, what makes you think she is any different now?"

"She was sworn to secrecy on the matter," I argued. "Erin has proven herself many times to me over the years." My father dropped his gaze to the papers below him again, an indication that he was growing bored with me. That was as good a time as ever to bring up my next point. "Do you know exactly how I met up with her again?"

"You said you met her on your journey," he replied.

"Yes," I nodded, "I did. She was one of those chosen to join the Fellowship of the Ring, along with a friend of hers." My father lifted his head again, frowning slightly. Now I had his attention again, so I stepped forward a bit closer to his desk. "You and I both know that Lord Elrond would never have allowed her to join us on a mission of such importance if he did not have the confidence that she would be able to handle herself. He trusted her. Mithrandir trusted her. Aragorn trusted her. I trust her. The entire Fellowship did!"

He thought for a moment before speaking again. "That does not compensate for what she did to our kingdom, Legolas. She-"

Suddenly, something clicked in my head, and I cut him off. "What she did to the kingdom, or what she did to you?"

My father was caught off-guard by the question. I stared into his eyes deeply. "I beg your pardon?"

Now I was certain about this. I walked right up to the desk and leaned on it a bit. "That is why you refuse to forgive her, isn't it? She wounded your pride. A simple woman managed to steal from you and slip away without much trouble at all...and you feel ashamed about that."

He was immediately defensive, which only made my accusation make even more sense. "Legolas, that is ridiculous."

"No...I do not think so. I know you are a prideful king, Ada, because I get that same trait from you." His jaw tightened. "You just do not want to forgive her because you do not want to lose even more of your dignity." It was silent in the room for a long time as I straightened up again, now confident that I had found my father's weak spot. It made so much sense. My father would never want to be caught having to apologize to someone of a lower rank than him, especially if it was because of him making a foolish assumption of the person. It made him look bad in the eyes of others. _How did I not see this before? _

When he finally spoke again, his voice was not as stony and bitter as it had been before. "...You love her very much, don't you?"

"More than anything," I answered without hesitating, "and she feels the same way about me. We both would willingly sacrifice our lives for the other if need be." I then changed my tone to sound a bit more sincere. "Ada, she was afraid of accepting my proposal in the first place because she did not want me to be hurt by her not having immortality."

"Have you thought about that, Legolas?" he asked me seriously. "You know that you do not have the option to give up your immortal life for this woman. If you marry her, she will die sooner than you would wish, and you will be forever doomed to wander this earth with a broken heart." I dropped my eyes slightly, the cruelty of our marriage's outcome filling my mind again. "...There will be no comfort for you then, my son."

I paused for a moment before nodding. "I know," I said quietly. "...But if I chose not to have her as my own, that would also bring great suffering." _I have already gone through more than enough of that. _"And I know that she would feel the same pain." I looked back up at my father. "If we marry, then at the very least Erin will be able to enjoy her life and not have to suffer through us being separated. I will handle her passing when it comes," I said firmly, despite the dull pang of sorrow in my heart from thinking about it.

Again, it was quiet for the longest time, and my father's expression was unreadable. I could not tell what he was thinking, and it irritated me, so I let my mind wander to other things instead. I specifically worried about what I would do if my father still refused to release Erin from prison. _If I cannot convince him, no one can. What else am I to do? If he still does not find it in his heart to forgive her...what will I do? What will Erin do? She cannot sit down there in the dungeons forever. Perhaps I could break her out of there myself...but then we would have to run off on our own. Where would we go? Could...could I even do that? If I have no other option but to run from my kingdom...my people...my father..._

"Legolas." His voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I blinked, focusing on him again. His face was grim, which made me even more fearful of what he would say. "If I would give you permission to marry Erin, you would do so immediately, yes?"

I had not been expecting another question, but nodded nonetheless. "Of course I would."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Then you understand that you would fill all the requirements to become King of Greenwood."

My brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, then relaxed in shock. I looked at my father again, who still had a serious expression. "I...I would?"

"Yes," he nodded. "You are the rightful heir to the throne, and you became old enough when you were two millenia. All you need is one who would be your queen."

That was something that had not even crossed my mind until now. I looked away from my father for a bit, the thought of ruling a kingdom still registering in my mind. _I...I would be...king. Erin and I would have complete rule of Greenwood! _Was I ready for that? I did not necessarily doubt my abilities to lead my people, but...the idea was just so foreign to me. It had never been anything that my father and I had talked about often. He'd had things under control for so long, and I had grown so used to fulfilling my duties as a prince and the captain of our army that I had never worried about becoming king and inheriting the throne. "...I guess Erin and I would, then. We would rule Greenwood together."

I looked back up at my father again and frown slightly. Was that...sadness I detected in his eyes? He sighed. "...Then my reign as King would come to an end."

oOo

Erin's POV

I idly twirled the Ring of Unity on my finger and stared at the crisscrossed metal bars that were keeping me trapped inside this cell. I felt horrible. I'd never meant to cause such tension between Legolas and his father when I came here. I still remembered seeing the anger on his face as he'd completely exploded in Thranduil's face, and it...it had scared me. I seriously couldn't ever remember another time when I'd seen Legolas that angry, and I felt incredibly guilty knowing that I'd been the one to cause that. It always seemed to me that he and his dad never really fought that much, and now I'd gone and ruined everything.

I wished that I could get out of this stupid cell and talk to Thranduil. I wanted to apologize for everything I'd done, because I knew that I basically did betray him when I'd left with the Elemental bands. I doubted he'd forgive me anyway, though. The odds looked like they were tilted pretty badly against me at this point, which certainly didn't help the situation at all. I sighed in frustration and lightly smacked my fist against my thigh. _Why can't things ever be simple?_

A couple seconds later, I heard footsteps coming down into the dungeons. When Legolas' tall form appeared at the base of the stone stairway, I straightened up. I tried to smile at him as he approached me, but it instantly disappeared when I saw the grief etched into his face. "Legolas?" I asked as I stood up and pressed myself against the bars when he walked over. "What's wrong?" My heart pounded in my chest, and I already assumed the worst. "...He said no, didn't he?" I asked quietly.

Legolas was silent for a moment, as if unsure what to say. "No, no, he... he said he would release you."

My breath hitched in shock, and a smile broke out on my face. "What? Oh my gosh, that's great!" I laughed. "We can be together, Legolas!" But then I realized that he wasn't smiling. He still looked upset. I frowned again. "Legolas?"

His blue eyes met my green ones. "...But if we marry, he...You and I would take over as rulers of Greenwood," he said quietly, "meaning that...my father would no longer have a purpose here. He...he would leave for the Undying Lands."

My lips parted a bit in shock as the gravity of what he'd just said hit me. If we married, Thranduil would leave Middle-Earth. He really wouldn't have any other choice. Legolas' last remaining family member would be gone. "...Oh..." That was all I could think to say at the moment. "I...Legolas, I'm so sorry...I never meant for this to happen."

"It is not your fault," he said. "I still love you, Erin. I always will." He exhaled and looked down. "Our love just comes at a great price, it seems."

I knew how brokenhearted he must've been on the inside, though. I almost wanted to cry for him. "Legolas..." He raised his head to look at me again. "You don't have to do this."

"No, Erin," he replied, pulling a small key from a pocket on his tunic, "I do." He slipped it into the lock on the cell's door and twisted it, the barred metal wall jolting forward with a _click_. Legolas pulled it away completely, and I was on him in a matter of seconds, holding him close and kissing him happily. I felt refreshed with an electrifying energy in my veins and smiled, looking up at him as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

I fingered the mithril necklace with Greenwood's emblem that he wore and laughed a bit. "Then let's get going. We've got a wedding to plan."

oOo

_April 13th, 3021_

My heart pounded in my ears wildly as I stepped up onto the raised platform that had been set up in the massive front yard of Greenwood's palace, and I made sure that the sheer white fabric of my dress didn't get caught on the edge of the smooth white wood as I faced Legolas. My hands would've been shaking terribly if Legolas hadn't gently taken them in his own, calming me down. He looked incredible in his pristine white elven suit with a deep indigo sash across his chest and an intricately woven mithril circlet around his head, and his eyes sparkled as he smiled down at me. Thranduil started off with a big speech to start off the wedding ceremony, but I was hardly paying any attention to anything else other than my soon-to-be-husband.

"Are you nervous?" he said in such a soft voice that I could barely hear it.

I blushed a bit. _He would notice, of all people._ "Of course I am," I whispered back.

"Do not be. You look beautiful."

I smiled. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself, Blondie." He laughed the tiniest bit, and the two of us turned to face the massive crowd of people as we started to go through the traditional elven customs that were done at a wedding.

To be completely honest, it was all a blur for me. I remember spotting several familiar faces amidst the sea of people (namely Kathryn, Faramir, Aragorn, Arwen, and the rest of our normal crew), but other than that, nothing. My thoughts were incredibly scattered and jumbled around in my head, and I'm surprised I actually remembered everything that I had to say in elvish when we got to announcing the vows and all that stuff. The only thing I could seriously focus on was Legolas' face, and before the words _"Le eth mar__í__nen d__î__s" _(You may kiss the bride) were out of Thranduil's mouth, I'd already taken the liberty of pressing Legolas' lips against mine. Nothing else mattered to me in that moment but him. Nothing at all. It felt like we lingered there in each other's arms for an eternity, and when we finally broke apart, we were both grinning widely.

_"Le melon," _I said, kissing him again quickly for the heck of it as we turned to face our audience once more. (I love you.)

_"Le melon," _he responded as our new crowns were placed on our heads. (I love you.) "And I always will."

oOo

Legolas and I spent the next month getting settled into our new lives together as King and Queen of Greenwood, which actually wasn't quite as complicated as I'd expected it to be. It took me a while to get used to people referring to me as _"Bereth L__ó__nnan__û__niel" _(Queen Erin), though. Thranduil didn't leave immediately, either. He was to leave with several others sometime in May, but I didn't know much beyond that. It was nice having him around for that short amount of time, as he helped Legolas and I get used to our new positions as the rulers of the elven kingdom a lot. Thranduil and I just kind of naturally made up with each other, and I developed a newfound respect and family kind of love for the guy.

It wasn't until May sixteenth that he came up to us one morning with some pretty important news. Legolas and I were casually sitting in our thrones that sat side by side in the main throne room of the palace, watching various servant elves and guards mill about as we talked.

I had my elbow resting on the armrest of the sleek wooden throne, my head propped up against my fist. "So...how's life, dearest?"

Legolas smiled and rolled his eyes. "Why do you always ask me that?"

"Because we run out of things to talk about."

"Well, that certainly isn't my fault."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying that I'm a boring person now?"

"I never said that!"

"You didn't have to," I said. "I sensed it."

He laughed. "You sensed it? With what?"

"With my spidey senses." As soon as I said it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded, and we both started laughing hysterically. This carried on for some time, because every time I thought I'd calmed down enough, we'd look at each other and then start laughing all over again. "Oh gosh...I'm dying." I took a couple deep breaths and wiped at my wet eyes. "That was great." Then I looked back at Legolas. "Sometimes I wonder why you married me." He chuckled a bit more, but then his gaze flicked to my left.

I looked in the same direction to see Thranduil standing there and smiled. "Hey!"

"Hello Erin," he said. I noticed that he looked...uncertain about something. Or...maybe nervous is a better word. "...I received word from Lady Galadriel not long ago, and she sent a letter for you as well." He held out a small piece of paper for me to take. "It would be best if you read it now."

I took the letter, frowning a bit at the look on his face. "Is something wrong?" He didn't respond. I was suddenly very freaked out by this letter, so I quickly unfolded the paper and read it aloud. "'To Queen Erin of Greenwood: As you have already been told at this time, a small group of elves have arranged passage across the sea and are to travel to the Undying Lands this month. Though I understand that this may be an inconvenient time to request this of you, I ask that you accompany us on...our...journey'...WHAT?" I shrieked, sitting upright instantly. I continued reading the rest of the letter, rereading the last part to make sure I wasn't seeing things. "'I ask that you accompany us on our journey, which will consist of Mithrandir, Lord Thranduil, Lord Elrond, Lord Glorfindel, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Lord Celeborn, and myself. You are needed to come with us, as you are the bearer of the Ring of Unity.'" I paused again before reading the last sentence. "'Please be prepared to depart Greenwood with Lord Thranduil on the eighteenth of May. Sincerely, Galadriel.'"

There was a thick silence that settled between the three of us as I skimmed over what I'd just read for the third time. "...But...t-that's two days from now!" I cried, looking back to Thranduil. "...She can't be serious!"

Now I could tell what his expression was: a mixture of pain and grief. "I am so sorry, Erin," he said, "but she is right. As a ringbearer, you are needed so that you may return the ring to the Valar. It has no further purpose in Arda now."

"But...can't I just get somebody else to take it over for me?"

"I thought that as well," he said, "but in my own letter, Galadriel said that there was another purpose for you to travel with us. She did not say what it was, though."

I looked over at Legolas, who was holding my hand tightly. "...Both of you are leaving?" he asked. He looked just as afraid as me as he turned his gaze to his father.

I also looked at him. "Well...I'll be coming back, right?" Thranduil didn't answer me immediately, and I felt Legolas' grip tighten. "_Right?_" I prompted. _Please tell me I'm right..._

He sighed. "In truth, Erin...I do not know if it is possible for one to return from the Undying Lands. I have never heard of such a thing happening, but..." He fell silent.

I looked back at Legolas. _You can't be serious...We were just married a month ago! And now there's a possibility that I'll never see him again?! _"Legolas..." I couldn't even think of what to say. "I..." This was too much. I quickly stood up and left the throne room, knowing Legolas would follow. Even as I went to our bedroom, tears started to slip down my face. I wiped them away, not even knowing what to think. I was angry at Galadriel for telling me this so suddenly, shocked that I was going to the Undying Lands, sad because...because I'd literally _just_ been married and made queen of a kingdom, and was now being asked to leave it behind. Leave him behind.

I slipped into our private room and didn't bother to shut the door, because about five seconds later Legolas came in behind me and closed it. I turned around as he walked up to me and hugged him hard, crying still. Neither of us said anything for a moment. We just stood there, hugging each other. When I finally spoke, my voice cracked and shook. "L-Legolas...I don't w-want to go..."

I felt him kiss my head and heard his voice in my ear. "Neither do I, _meleth n__í__n._" (...my love.)

"I'm so sorry..." I whispered. "I d-don't want to leave you!"

"Do not apologize. None of this is your fault."

"But what if I don't come back?" I pushed away from him a bit so I could see his face. "I might never see you again!"

He swallowed, and I wanted to cry even more at the look on his face. He looked so...broken. Hurt, even. I understood his pain easily; he was losing his wife. "...I know," he said quietly. He let out a shaky breath, and I hugged him again, crying into his shoulder. _What kind of cruel joke is this? Were we really not meant to be together? _"I love you so much, Erin," he said.

"I love you too," I replied. "...I don't want to go! I don't want to lose you, Legolas!" I shuddered.

Legolas said nothing. He just continued to hold me close, comforting me as best as he could. _We barely even got to enjoy life together. We went through hell and back in order to be together, and now it's all gonna be ripped to pieces. _I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in his shoulder. _Why is this happening? I don't understand!_

After several long, painful minutes of silence, we finally relaxed our grip on each other, and I looked back at my husband. His eyes were wet and tinged red. He'd been crying, too. Legolas leaned in and kissed me, and I relished it. _Why us? Why not anyone else? Why do we have to suffer like this? _"I will always love you more than any other," he said quietly, "no matter where you are."

I almost cried again. _Why am I losing him?! _Right then and there, I made a decision. "No..." I whispered. He pulled back and looked at me in confusion. I wiped at my eyes again. "...I...I won't leave you forever," I said. "I'll come back. I promise."

"Erin..."

"Legolas, I will. I'll...I'll find a way back somehow." I was determined now. "I don't care how long it takes me," I said, my voice wavering slightly again, "I will come back to you." I kissed him again lovingly. "I promise."

oOo

I can officially say that May eighteenth was the worst day of my life.

Thranduil and I stood side my side under the archway of the palace, horses ready to go. I wore the same exact outfit that I'd worn while traveling with the Fellowship in the greatest adventure of my life, Atontarya shining proudly on my finger. Thranduil wore a similar traveling outfit in varying shades of brown, a shining gold circlet on his head. At Legolas' request, I had his twin white knives in their scabbard strapped onto my back, and Thranduil had an elvish broadsword on his hips. Legolas had refused to let us travel across Middle-Earth unprotected. It was just after dawn, and the three of us stood there in the silence of the morning, not wanting to say our goodbyes.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Legolas, who looked so much like the king he was in royal robes of green. It broke my heart even more to know that he couldn't even come with us to the Grey Havens to say goodbye. Someone had to remain in Greenwood to rule the kingdom, and even if we'd had a replacement for him, he would succumb to the call of the sea once he got within range of the shores. The silence between the three of us stretched on for what seemed like forever until he spoke. "...Be safe, both of you."

Thranduil and I nodded, but he was the only one who spoke. "We will, Legolas." Father and son looked at each other for a moment longer before embracing, and I swallowed thickly when I saw Legolas close his eyes tightly in an attempt to not cry.

"Say hello to Naneth and Caunion for me," he said shakily.

"I will," I heard Thranduil reply. Pause. "...I am so proud of you, Legolas. You will make a fine king."

"Thank you, Ada," he said quietly. "Take care of her," he added in a voice so soft that even I could barely hear him.

Thranduil nodded as they pulled apart, and then Legolas turned to me. Without a word, I hugged him again, my arms clamping tightly around him. I didn't ever want to let him go. I started crying again, no matter how hard I tried not to.

Legolas was the first to speak, but even his voice was unsteady, and I could tell he was crying too. "Stay with Ada," he whispered. "Be safe, and give the others my best."

"I will," I said.

"I love you so much, Erin." He choked, and that killed me. I cried even more.

"I love you too," I said. I stepped back so that I could look at him one last time, studying every inch of his face, engraving it into my mind forever. I kept my hands on his chest, tracing over the swirling patterns in the cloth. "Don't you ever forget it."

He never looked away from my eyes. "I will not." We stared at each other for awhile, saying nothing. He kissed me again, and more tears ran down my face, knowing that this could be the last moment we would ever have together. "If I could travel across all of Middle-Earth and stay with you, I would," he said between kisses. "Forever."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," I said. "I love you." We hugged again, and I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing deeply. He smelled like the woods, and sunshine, and everything happy and good in the world.

Finally, after what seemed like years, we pulled away from each other. It felt like I was losing a part of my soul. Before I completely stepped away and went back to standing with Thranduil, I lightly grabbed his chin and kissed him again. "I'll return to you someday, Legolas. I promise." With that final message in mind, I turned and ran over to my horse, mounting her smoothly, then twisted around in my saddle to look at him again.

"Ride fast," Legolas said to us both.

Thranduil nodded to his son. _"Namari__ë__, __í__on n__í__n." _(Farewell, my son.)

_"M__á__ra mesta, Legolas," _I said. _"Le melon." _(Goodbye, Legolas. I love you.)

Legolas returned his father's nod and locked eyes with me again. _"No galu govad gen." _(May blessings go with you.)

That was the last thing I ever heard him say before Thranduil kicked his horse into action, and I had no choice but to follow suit. The two of us sped off from the palace grounds, making our way through the streets and towards the gate. I had to force myself not to look back, or I would completely lose it. I knew Legolas would be watching us until we disappeared from sight, so I blinked the last of my tears away and focused on the road ahead, saying nothing as we started a new journey across Middle-Earth.


	28. There and Back Again

**A/N: Well...here it is...the last chapter. D: Ahhhh, I don't want this fanfic to be over! *real tears* I've had so much fun writing it! You guys are all so incredibly amazingly awesome for following this series as you have and making it so successful. This sounds really cheesy, but I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you guys. :3 **

**Before we begin, though, I want to tell you guys that I STRONGLY recommend that you go back and reread the series again (and review the older books, too! :D) You'll be able to pick up on little hidden references and some foreshadowing stuff that might not have made sense before. :)**

**Well...no more stalling...here it is...the f-final...chapter...*cries forever* (Though I will be uploading one last little thing after this...just for the heck of it. :))**

To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty-Eight

Erin's POV

It was quiet as our small group of elves stood on the smooth stone dock next to the elegant elven boat, awaiting the final three members of our party that were to journey across the sea with us. Elrond, Galadriel, Thranduil, Glorfindel, and I all had our Elemental Bands on our fingers, knowing that there was no use in keeping them secret anymore. Celeborn was with us also, and I felt a sense of nostalgia standing here with all the great elven rulers of the past. It felt weird to say that I was kinda one of them now...an elven ruler. Thranduil and I had changed out of our dirty traveling clothes once we'd gotten to the Grey Havens, so he and I both now wore shining silver and white robes, with matching silver circlets resting on our heads.

Not an hour after we'd arrived at the docks, a small group of people that I knew well shuffled through the final archway of one of the many stone buildings surrounding the place, and I smiled when I saw the familiar faces of Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Bilbo approach us. The latter was hobbling on over with the help of Frodo and Sam, and when he raised his eyes, he gasped. "Oh! Well...here is a sight I have never seen before!"

The three younger hobbits' faces lit up when they recognized my face. "Erin!" Pippin cried. I laughed and bowed to them all, as did the other elves beside me. They returned the gesture, and seemed to pick up on the fact that I was of a higher status than before.

"The power of the Three Rings and Elemental Bands is ended," Galadriel announced. "The time has come...for the dominion of Men."

_"I Aear c__â__n ven na mar," _Elrond said quietly. Bilbo smiled, and Elrond spread his arms out to the elderly hobbit.

"...I think I'm quite ready for another adventure." I couldn't help but crack a smile at that as he slowly made his way over to us. Elrond guided him up onto the boat. Galadriel also smiled knowingly at us before making her way onto the boat herself, but I spotted Frodo watching us all warily out of the corner of my eye. Celeborn, Thranduil, and Glorfindel also boarded the ship, but I remained behind and stepped forward to greet my old friends of the Fellowship.

The three hobbits nodded respectfully to me as I approached them, and I smiled in return. "How've you been?"

"Good, Miss Erin. Very good," Sam replied. "You?"

_Oh, Sam. _"I've been alright. Ruling Greenwood's no easy task, but we're holding up just fine."

"We?" he asked curiously. I winked at him, and they all caught on quickly after that. Frodo gave me a small smile.

"...Oh," Pippin said. "Well...tell Legolas we said hello."

I sighed, now smiling sadly. "Actually, I..." I hesitated. "I'm to travel overseas with the others."

Sam frowned. "What? But...you're leaving Mr. Legolas behind!"

"I know," I said quietly. "I...I might come back, though. I'm not sure yet. But I do have to go."

"As do I," Gandalf cut in. "Farewells are bittersweet...but we all must experience them at some point in our lives." He paused for a moment, falling silent before he started his goodbye speech. "So farewell, my brave hobbits." He smiled down at them, and they each looked up with tears in their eyes...save for Frodo. "My work is now finished. Here at last...on the shores of the sea...comes the end of our friendship." Then he noticed Pippin and Sam crying. "...I will not say 'do not weep,'" he said softly, "for not all tears are in evil." He turned and began walking towards the ship, and I followed him, stopping and turning with him when he realized we were short one hobbit. "It is time, Frodo."

The looks on Pippin and Sam's faces made me want to cry. "What does he mean?" Sam asked. He sounded so confused, like a little kid who'd lost his mom.

Frodo turned to his faithful gardener and best friend sadly. "We set out to save the Shire, Sam...and it has been saved. But not for me."

Sam was crying harder now. "You don't mean that. You can't leave!"

Frodo said nothing at first, holding out the Red Book for Sam to take. "The last pages are for you, Sam." Despite his tears, the sandy-blonde haired halfling took it without question. Frodo then turned to Pippin and hugged him tightly as one last goodbye as the redhead cried into his shoulder. Once they released each other, he turned back to Sam, who looked at him for a second before clasping his master tightly. It was here that I saw even Frodo's steady, calm expression waver a bit. Sam was an absolute mess, sobbing. I could understand why, though...he was losing his best friend. That was tough, I knew. Frodo kissed him on the head as a final farewell before stepping away and walking towards Gandalf and I, who each took one of his hands and led him up onto the ship.

Once we were safely on board, Glorfindel started to prepare the boat to set sail. I sat down with Frodo at the back of the ship, where he stood and looked at his friends one last time before offering them a smile. Just then, the ship started to smoothly glide through the water, and I twisted around in my seat also, tearing up as I looked around the Grey Havens, praying that one day I could return to Middle-Earth. _I'm the luckiest girl alive, to have gotten to experience all this, and I regret nothing. _We continued out to the mouth of the cove, then past it, the vast expanse of the blue sea opening up before us until the outline of land on the horizon could no longer be seen. Only then did I finally turn back around and face forward, wanting more than ever to be back on those shores where I belonged.

oOo

After leaving Middle-Earth, I completely lost track of time, so I couldn't tell you if it took us days, months, or even years to reach our destination. All I knew was that it took longer than what I would've liked. I wasn't completely miserable, as I had all the others to talk to during the day, but...nighttime was the worst. Almost every single night, I would dream about Middle-Earth, Kaia, Kathryn, our crazy adventures as a Fellowship and as a trio of friends...and Legolas. He was always in my dreams somewhere. Some nights I'd wake up and cry for awhile, missing it all more than I thought possible. I hated feeling so weak and emotional, but I couldn't help it. It scared me to death, knowing that I might not be able to come back from this...this supposed 'heaven.' _Will it still seem heavenly to me if I find out that I'm stuck there forever? Or will it become my own personal living hell?_

On a bright, sunny morning some time later, I found out. I remember staring down at the bottom of the smooth wooden boat, lost in thought as I usually was, when a small voice pulled me back to reality. "Erin?" I looked up to see Frodo standing in front of me with a small smile on his face. "We're here."

"Thanks," I said, standing up and walking to the front of the boat. Once I could clearly see the area in front of me, I gasped softly. "Oh my word..."

It was nothing like what I'd imagined. The land was like...it seemed to glow pure white, and even from the short distance away that we were, it gave off a very prominent aura of peace, happiness, and...life. The shoreline of this incredible place was stark white sand, and aways up the beach there was a large stone white wall with pure gold railings and matching golden gates. I couldn't see much beyond that other than tall trees slightly resembling that of the mallorn trees in Lórien peering out from over the top of the wall, their leaves a more brilliant green than anything I'd ever seen before. An impressive mountain range stretched all along the coastline behind the walls, their snowy peaks shining like silver in the sunlight. It looked absolutely beautiful. _If only Legolas could see this..._

Within the hour, our boat had passed the island of Tol Erresëa and pulled up into the in the center of the beach; the Bay of Eldamar. The crystal clear blue water gently lapped up against the sides of the boat as I walked down onto the beach with the others. The sand was so soft...it didn't even feel like sand. It was incredible. I could only stare at my surroundings in awe as we moved silently up the beach and approached the large double gates. Soft, relaxing singing could be heard from inside, sounding like a chorus of angels.

To describe the Undying Lands beyond that is like...it's like asking me to define Heaven, or light, or purity. To try and describe this place like it was a physical thing was just...impossible. I'd heard much about it in my lifetime, but had never actually seen the place myself. And there were so many different ways to describe this...this haven, I just...it's impossible to put into words. You can't described the Undying Lands. You have to experience it for yourself to understand what it's like.

That being said, I could vaguely describe parts of our journey throughout the Undying Lands. The first place we went after being permitted to enter was to the Mansion of Manwë and Varda, which didn't take nearly as long as I expected it to. Maybe it was because time just seemed to not exist in this otherworldly place...I don't know. In any event, we arrived at the mansion of the Valar to speak with one of the rulers and creators of all Arda some time after crossing the sea. I for one was incredibly nervous and excited all at the same time, mostly because I was one of the four that actually got to go along (the other three being Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel) and because I knew that meeting Varda was like meeting God. She was to be highly respected and revered, but also feared. I knew the power that she possessed, and was definitely going to treat her as she deserved.

I remember standing in a stark white, circular room that didn't seem to have a ceiling of any sort, with the far wall being completely covered in an enormous stained glass window that depicted a scene that seemed to be the creation of Middle-Earth. I could pick out all fourteen Valar in the intricately designed window, but didn't have time to study anything more when she appeared.

It started with a blinding white light, brighter than the white walls of the room (though that seemed impossible). At first, that was all that we could see...just the white light. It wasn't a white light that made me think of dying or anything...it was like a presence. A soft feminine voice echoed around the room, appearing to come from within the light itself. _"You have done well, my children." _Instantly, Galadriel, Elrond, and Gandalf all dropped to their knees, and I did the same. We all stayed in position, heads bowed from the light, until the voice spoke again. _"By your efforts, as well as others', peace is restored in Arda. Your work is finished." _Suddenly, the light seemed to shine brighter than before, and although I was afraid to do so, I lifted my head as the voice suddenly sounded more like it was in the room with us. "I thank you for all that you have done." My jaw dropped, and I couldn't bring myself to speak as I stared up at the being in front of us.

It was none other than Varda, Elbereth Githoniel herself. She was much larger in size that a normal human being, and her skin was a fair pearl-white. Her hair flowed down to her feet in soft waves of silver-gold, and her eyes were a crystalline blue-grey that mimicked the sparkling stars in the sky. She wore swirling robes of white and sheer golden fabric, and a crown of stars shone brightly from where it sat proudly on her head. She glowed like an angel, and I felt like a speck of dust compared to her beauty. She smiled down at us lovingly, almost in the way that a mother would look at her newborn child. We probably did look like nothing but newborns in her eyes. She was ageless.

"Each of you I sent to Arda with a different purpose," she said softly, "and you have all succeeded in completing the tasks you were given." Her eyes slowly looked over each one of us, and I felt so small and unimportant under her gaze. "You have done well," she repeated.

"...Elbereth Githoniel..." I whispered, unable to say anything else.

The Queen of Stars' eyes flicked back to me, and I felt embarrassed for saying anything, but she smiled anyway. "Yes, Erin. It is I." She watched me for a long time, studying me. It felt like she was looking right into my soul. _She probably is, _I thought. Finally, she spoke again, but this time she said something I didn't expect. "You are not fated to be here." I looked up suddenly, confused by her words. She studied me for awhile longer before turning to the others. "Why have you brought her here?"

"She is the bearer of Atontarya," Galadriel spoke up from beside me. I extended my left hand to show the wife of Manwë my ring. "Its power is ended; it has no further use in Middle-Earth now. She was to return it to you, as were the rest of us who possess rings of power."

Elbereth looked at me again, smiling in realization. "Ah, yes! You are she whom I brought from another world into Arda some time ago, are you not?"

I nodded meekly. "Y-Yes," I stuttered. "At least, that's what I was told."

She nodded slowly and then looked over Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf again. "I wish to speak with Erin alone for a moment. You may go." I tensed a bit at this, more nervous than before. _Oh gosh...what did I do now? _The other three quickly got up and left the room, while I stayed in the bowing position on the floor. Once they had all gone away, Elbereth spoke again. "You may stand, child." I did so, looking up at her again. There was a brief silence again, and I wondered if she expected me to say something or not. A moment later, though, she broke it after studying me again. "...You are here in mind and body, but your heart wishes to be elsewhere."

I swallowed and nodded. "Yes." She looked at me expectantly, so I went on. "...I wish to be with my husband, back in Greenwood...Your Highness."

She smiled knowingly. "I have seen how the child of Thranduil has captured your heart, Erin. He treasures it more than anything in this world, and you feel the same towards him, do you not?"

"I do." _Why are we talking about this?_ "...Forgive me for speaking so boldly, but...I didn't want to come here."

"Why not?"

I sighed. "...Because I can't go back to him," I said quietly, looking down so she wouldn't see in case I got teary-eyed. "I promised him I would return someday, but...that isn't possible, is it?" I hesitated for a moment, and when she didn't respond, I continued to vent. "And even if I could...we're of different kinds. I am mortal, he is elven. When I die, he'll be left alone to spend the rest of his days grieving over me." I was almost to the point of crying again, but I held myself together as I looked back up to Elbereth. "...That's not what I want for him."

She looked at me awhile longer before speaking. "...I can sense the concern and love you have for him, Erin." I only nodded. "You have overcome many odds to have him as your own." Another pause. "...I said earlier to you and the others that your work was finished, but that was not entirely true." She looked at me seriously, but with a sparkle in her eye. "Your work is not finished, child." I stared up at her in shock. "Your time to journey to the Undying Lands for the rest of your days will come, but you do not belong here yet. You belong in Arda with the one whom you love, to linger there until you choose to leave, not until fate decides when your life is over." _No way...is she seriously?..._

To my complete and utter shock, Elbereth floated down closer to me as she spoke. "You played a greater part in saving Middle-Earth than what you realize, Erin." Then she smiled again. "What would you request of me as a reward for all you have done?"

"I..." Was she being serious? I could ask her for anything I wanted? Well...there was only one thing I really wanted now. I gulped, hoping that asking favors from the Valar wasn't a sin or anything. "...I...I would ask for immortality, Your Highness...and the ability to return to Legolas so that I could live with him forever."

Her smile grew as she came closer, delicately placing her hands on both of my shoulders. "Your wish is granted."

In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of strength rush through my veins, that strength then turning into a burning passion, and then that passion morphing into a chilling sense of peace. A blinding light flashed in front of my eyes, and I shivered as Elbereth removed her hands from my shoulders, moving back and smiling at me. I subconsciously reached up and felt the tips of my ears, wondering if...

A musical laugh interrupted my thoughts, and I looked back to Elbereth who was chuckling softly. "You have not become one of the Firstborn, child. You will still remain human, but you have been granted the gift of an immortal life, something that is given to very few."

"...Really?" I could hardly think straight.

"Yes," she nodded. "Consider it my way of saying thank you for all your help in restoring my creation to what it once was."

"I..." I tried to reorganize myself enough to form a coherent sentence, at least. "...Yeah! Not a problem. I mean...the pleasure was all mine. You're welcome, Your Highness," I finished, curtsying to the Queen of the Valar. "...Thank you so much," I said quietly, still not quite comprehending what was going on. "You have no idea how much this means to me." I smiled at her.

Elbereth smiled. "Though it is true that some fates are not meant to be changed, that is not true of all destinies."

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind, and I stared up at her in wonder. _That voice...Wait a minute..._ "...You're the voice that was in my head before! The one that...that spoke to me when Haldir died, and when I had to save Faramir, and...and when Kaia died! That was you!" My jaw dropped slightly.

She laughed again. "Yes, you are correct. I did not intend to interfere during your quest, but those were the times when I felt you needed it most."

"I...I did, actually. Thank you." Then I thought about something else. "Wait...The Halls of Mandos!" I said suddenly, meeting her gaze. "That's here in the Undying Lands, isn't it?"

She nodded, thought confused by my question. "Yes, Erin. Why do you ask?"

I hesitated, not sure of how to phrase my next question. "...I know I'm in no position to ask favors of you, Your Highness, but..."

oOo

As soon as the massive double doors leading into the Halls of Mandos swung open, I looked around frantically, searching the huge area. _They said she'd be summoned to meet me here, but...where?_ I took several steps forward down the first main hall, peering into a door on the left that led to another empty room. Not three seconds later, I heard the shriek that could only belong to one person. "ERIN!"

My head snapped forward, and I broke into a run when I recognized her, tears already freely flowing down my face. "KAIA!" We collided in the middle of the hallway, slamming right into each other and hugging like there was no tomorrow. I cried tears of joy into her shoulder, spinning around a little bit as she did the same. _She's here! She's really here!_

Kaia then quickly let me go, stepping back and looking me over with a smile on her face. "Oh my God...Erin, it's really you!" She hugged me again, and I laughed, still crying from being so happy.

"I can't believe you're here!" I said, equally as overjoyed. She hadn't changed at all from when I'd last seen her so long ago...still with her dark skin, eyes, and hair that fell in tight, crazy curls down to the small of her back. "Oh my word...I miss you so much, Kaia. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"Same to you," she said, releasing me again. "Why are you here?"

"I had to return my ring and talk to Elbereth," I said, still smiling. "I asked if I could see you before I left."

At this, she frowned. "You're going back?"

A wave of sadness washed over me as I remembered that I would only be able to see Kaia for a couple minutes. "...Yeah. I have to. I..." I hesitated, smiling from knowing how she'd react to the news. "...I've got a husband waiting for me back home."

It took her about three seconds to figure out what I meant. "...No way!" she squealed. "Really? Legolas actually confessed to you? HALLELUJAH!" I laughed as she threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Oh my God...You're gonna make a great queen, dude."

I smiled. "Thanks. Kathryn married Faramir, too, so...everyone's happy."

"Oh, that's awesome!" She was beaming, and that made me smile back. But then Kaia grew more solemn and looked down at her feet. "...I wish I could go back with you."

"I know," I said quietly. "Me too. Oh Kaia, you have no clue how hard it is without you there..."

"I'm so sorry, Erin," she said quickly. "I feel like I didn't really explain to you why I had to die...but I did."

"No no, I understand," I said, taking a deep breath. "You had to sacrifice your life to save Aragorn's."

"He did marry Arwen and become king, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Yeah, he did."

"Good," she smiled, "other wise I'd have to go back as a ghost and punch him in the face."

We both laughed again, and I stood there for a moment in silence with my best friend. I wished that the moment could've lasted forever, but...sadly, we were of different worlds now. Not even Manwë himself could change that. "Well..." I started, not wanting to finish. "...I guess it's, uh...time for me to go."

Kaia sighed, hugging me again. "Good luck in Greenwood, Erin."

I choked back tears again, not wanting to leave her behind for the second time. "Thanks." We stayed like that, enveloped in the hug for several long seconds before I had to force myself to step away. I gently laid a hand on her shoulder and offered her a shaky smile. "...I'll see you again someday...and I'll bring Legolas with me next time." My smile grew more genuine then. "Stay awesome, bro," I whispered.

She nodded. "Stay awesome."

With that, I stepped around Kaia and walked back towards the entrance to the Halls of Mandos, where two guards clad in armor that made them look like golden angels waited for me. As I stood in the doorway, I turned and cast one last glance over my shoulder, smiling at Kaia, who smiled back. _"Namari__ë__."_

oOo

Legolas' POV

Two years. That is how long it had been since Erin left. Normally two years would pass by like nothing for an elf...but not for me. The two years spent without Erin passed by agonizingly slowly, and often times I had myself nearly convinced that she was never coming back. Life in Greenwood went on as it should have, but...it just felt so empty without her by my side. It hurt me to think that I would likely never see her again.

One day, sometime in the early spring, if I remember correctly, I was sitting leisurely on my throne, staring out into space and doing absolutely nothing, when a servant in the house came running up to me. "My lord! My lord!"

I blinked and looked down at the elf, giving him my full attention. "Yes? What is it?"

The elf appeared out of breath. "You...you have a visitor, my king."

"Oh!" That was strange. I had not been expecting anyone. "Well, send them in then." The servant rushed off again to do as told, and I sat up straighter in my seat, smoothing out my long brown and gold tunic and gripping the carved wooden staff handed down to my from my father in my hand in an attempt to look more kingly. When the doors burst open, however, my jaw dropped, and the staff clattered to the ground uselessly as I jumped up from my seat and ran across the hall. "Erin!"

"Legolas!" She sounded overjoyed as I met her with a passionate, loving kiss that rejuvenated my very soul. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, smiling and laughing. "I'm back, Legolas!"

"I see!" I exclaimed, kissing her again. Oh, how I had missed this. "Everything went smoothly, then?"

She nodded. "Yes! Oh Legolas, it was incredible! I met Elbereth herself!"

I stared at my beautiful wife, shocked. "What?"

"Yeah! It was crazy! And guess what she did?"

"What?" I looked her over quickly; she did not appear any different from when I had last seen her. Same warm brown hair, same gorgeous green eyes, same happy smile, same contagious laugh as before. "What happened?"

Now her smiled turned into one of genuine love. "She made me immortal!" she said softly. "She made me immortal so that we could be together!"

For a few seconds, I said nothing. "This...this is true?"

"Of course! Why would I lie to you, _meleth n__í__n?" _(...my love?)

"Erin, that's fantastic!" I laughed and kissed her again, lifting her off the ground and spinning her in a circle in the midst of my joy. Once I set her back on her feet, I stared deeply into her eyes and smiled softly, pushing strands of hair out of her face. "I missed you so much, Erin. I never stopped loving you."

She laid her head on my chest, also smiling with content. "Neither did I, Legolas. I'll never stop loving you." She looked up at me again, and my heart soared simply to see her smiling face, then rested a hand on my chest, just over my heart.

"...It has always belonged to you," I whispered, "and no other."

"As does mine, Legolas," she said, grabbing my hand as we started to walk back up to the throne together. "As does mine."

**A/N: And with that, I bring you the end of The Changing Destinies Series. :) I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did (though I think we all know the obvious answer to that lol). I certainly won't abandon the LotR fandom as far as writing goes, so don't worry about that. As I said before, I encourage you to go back and reread the series...maybe let me know what your favorite memory is from going on this crazy adventure with the girls. :D**

**Until next time! ;D See you in a couple weeks when we go sailing away on a new adventure with Jack Sparrow and company!**

**All the best,**

**Erin**


	29. Timeline of Events

The Changing Destinies Series: Timeline of Events

**3017:**

APRIL: Erin arrives in Middle-Earth and meets Legolas. She is taken to Lothlórien, where she learns about the Elven Element Bands. She meets Haldir.

MAY: Erin and Legolas depart for Mirkwood. He steals the Ring of Unity, and she returns to Lórien. Erin rejects Haldir's offer to court her for the first time. She gathers up elven escorts there, and they set out for Mirkwood.

JUNE: Erin and the elves of Lórien arrive in Mirkwood at Thranduil's palace. She confronts Legolas about stealing her ring, to which Legolas tells her to speak with his father. The next evening, Erin makes a deal with Thranduil to aid him and his son on their quest for the other Elemental Bands, and also reveals that he has the Ring of Fire. A few days later, Legolas and Erin leave Mirkwood together. The Lórien party leaves a day later. Erin is spider-poisoned.

JULY: Erin and Legolas arrive in Rivendell and successfully manage to steal the Ring of Water from Elrond. On the way to Lórien, they are caught in an avalanche. Legolas is captured by Orcs, but Erin rescues him.

AUGUST: They arrive in Lórien once more, and get the Ring of Air from Galadriel.

SEPTEMBER: Erin and Legolas return to Mirkwood and give the remaining two rings to Thranduil. A few nights later, Erin has a dream of Mirkwood falling to ruin when Thranduil goes insane from the power of the Elemental Bands, and Galadriel warns her of the danger Mirkwood is in. She also meets Aragorn for the first time, as well as Gollum. Near the end of the month, Erin leaves for Lothlórien alone, knowing she must speak with Galadriel.

OCTOBER: Erin makes it to Lórien, visits Galadriel, and the Lady of Light explains how dangerous it is for Thranduil to possess all five Elemental Bands. They both come up with a plan to get the rings back and return them to their proper owners. Erin leaves Lórien.

NOVEMBER: Erin returns to Thranduil's palace, and within two days she manages to retrieve the rings from Thranduil. She bumps into Legolas during her escape, but manages to get away without ruining the plan. About this time, Kaia is brought to Middle-Earth. Three days after Erin escapes, Thranduil finds a letter she left for him and notices the absence of the Elemental Bands (minus the Ring of Earth). He sends out a search party consisting of Legolas and several other elves to find Erin. Legolas is angry with Erin for betraying both him and his father.

DECEMBER: Erin reaches Lothlórien and returns Galadriel's ring. While in Lórien for the last time, she promises Haldir that in a year she'll return and rethink her decision to reject him. The search party is about a week behind her. Erin reaches Rivendell on Christmas Day. She returns Aëraya to Elrond, as well as Lhachya, and meets Kaia. She remains there in secret for awhile.

**3018:**

JANUARY: Erin learns about the death of her parents from Kaia. Legolas and company reach Imladris. He speaks with Kaia, who lies and says that Erin isn't there.

FEBRUARY: The search party returns to Mirkwood empty-handed.

JUNE: Kathryn arrives in Edoras. Erin is ill on the anniversary of her spider-poisoning.

OCTOBER: Legolas comes to Rivendell as a member of the Council of Elrond and discovers that Erin's been hiding there all this time. He also meets Kaia. The Council of Elrond takes place, and the Fellowship of the Ring is formed. Erin and Kaia join it. Erin and Legolas become friends again.

NOVEMBER: The Fellowship leaves Rivendell. Kaia and Boromir become enemies. She grows closest with Aragorn and Gandalf.

DECEMBER: The Fellowship passes through Hollin and tries to go over Caradhras, but fail. The Ring begins to haunt Kaia. They go to Moria, and as the Watcher in the Water appears, Legolas accidentally knocks Erin out in an attempt to keep her away from battle. It is here that Legolas realized that he loves Erin. In Moria, Erin awakes and is pissed at Legolas for being overprotective. Fall of Gandalf. Kaia gets upset with Erin for not confiding in her about Gandalf's death. The Fellowship arrives in Lórien, and Erin is reunited with Haldir. Kaia begins to succumb to the Ring.

**3019:**

JANUARY: Haldir asks Erin to court her again, and this time she accepts. That same night, Legolas tells Kaia about his love for Erin. Kaia looks into the Mirror of Galadriel. She sees the signal from Minas Morgul, Aragorn's coronation, him marrying Arwen, and herself dying at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields to save his life. Gandalf is revived. Kathryn meets Faramir for the first time in Rohan. They develop crushes on each other, but don't tell anyone.

FEBRUARY: The Fellowship leaves Lórien. Haldir gives Erin a necklace to remember him by. Kaia receives her twin black blades from Galadriel. Faramir leaves Rohan. The Fellowship comes to the Falls of Rauros. Uruk-Hai kill Boromir and Merry. The Fellowship splits. In a panic, Erin pushes Kaia into captivity with Pippin to take Merry's place. The Four Hunters chase the Uruks.

MARCH: Erin, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli continue to pursue the Uruk-Hai. Erin's 18th birthday happens. Pippin and Kaia enter Fangorn, but in the process Kaia loses her black blades. She is attacked by more Uruk-Hai just after escaping and is recaptured. Pippin gets away. Her swords are picked up by Éomer. Kaia continues to Orthanc. When the Four Hunters meet the Rohirrim, Éomer gives her swords to Erin. She is crushed, thinking something went wrong and Kaia's dead. Legolas tries to comfort her. The Four Hunters go into Fangorn to find their friends. Kaia arrives at Orthanc and is imprisoned by Saruman. He begins to torture her for information. The Four Hunters meet Gandalf and set out for Edoras. Legolas and Erin argue because he wants her to tell him the future of his homeland. She says no.

APRIL: They come to Edoras, and Erin meets Kathryn there after Théoden's healing. Kathryn reveals to Erin her feelings for Faramir. Funeral of Théodred. Erin meets Éowyn. Legolas again tries to get information from Erin. She briefly stops talking to him. He meets Kathryn, who slaps some sense into him, apologizes, and Erin forgives him. The king orders for Edoras to be emptied.

MAY: The company leaves Edoras for Helm's Deep. Saruman discovers that Erin is the one he's looking for and sends out Wargs to hunt her down. Erin's mood improves since she knows she'll see Haldir again soon, but she also spends time contemplating whether or not she should let Haldir live. The Wargs attack, and Erin is dragged off the cliff with Aragorn. She survives, but Kathryn and Legolas don't know and freak out. Kaia sees Erin's supposed 'death' in the palantír and is horrified. While waiting at Helm's Deep, Legolas tells Kathryn how he loves Erin.

JUNE: Aragorn and Erin arrive at Helm's Deep, along with Haldir and the elves. Erin and Haldir are reunited happily. The Battle of Helm's Deep takes place. Kathryn goes to the caves with Éowyn. Haldir dies despite Erin's efforts to save him. Erin in confused when she is not as saddened by this as she should be. Elbereth telepathically says to her "Some fates are not meant to be changes, but accepted." Kathryn helps her realize that she never truly loved him. Kaia escapes Orthanc while all the Uruks are gone to Rohan, killing Grima and breaking out of Orthanc just as the Ents attack Isengard and meets up with Treebeard and Pippin. The Company rides to Isengard. Kathryn stays behind. Erin and Kaia are reunited. Saruman warns them that one of the three girls won't survive the War of the Ring. This troubles Erin. They find the palantír. Death of Saruman. Everyone returns to Edoras, and Kaia gets back her black blades. When they reach the capital of Rohan, all three girls have a talk, where Kaia tells them (vaguely) that she has her own task to fulfill, and Erin's still scared by Saruman's words. They form a pact to stick together as a trio. Kathryn begins to feel left out. She talks to Gandalf about finding a way for her to go back home. Erin is again ill for one day because of her spider-poisoning.

JULY: Kathryn talks to Gandalf about finding a way for her to go back home. The party to commemorate the dead takes place. Kaia dares Erin and Legolas to kiss after he wins a drinking contest against Gimli. They do, and although they both secretly enjoy it, act like it meant nothing, which crushes Legolas' spirits. Erin has a dream about the White Tree of Minas Tirith. Several nights later, Pippin looks into the palantír. He is taken by Gandalf to Minas Tirith, and Erin voluntarily goes with them. The meaning of her dream, she realizes, is that she has some sort of task it fulfill in the White City. Legolas is concerned and worried for her since she's leaving. In the last conversation they have before Erin leaves for Gondor, he almost confesses his love for her, but doesn't at the last second. Kaia asks him what's wrong, and he confides in her. Kathryn becomes slightly jealous that Erin gets to see Faramir. She grows worried for him after she has a nightmare about him dying.

AUGUST: Gandalf, Pippin, and Erin arrive in Minas Tirith. She meets Denethor and Terawyn. Erin catches Gandalf searching in the libraries of the city, and learns of Kathryn's wishes to go home. She's hurt by this. The signal from Minas Morgul is seen in both Minas Tirith and Edoras. Kaia gets stressed, because she knows that the signal means she'll die soon. She seeks comfort in Aragorn. Kathryn grows worried about Kaia. Pippin lights the beacons, and the Company rides out from Edoras to Dunharrow. Faramir returns from Osgiliath, which is overrun. The Rohirrim are attacked by Orcs, and Kathryn is wounded. Erin has another dream about Faramir and Kathryn, and realizes the meaning of it. She envisions Faramir dying, and realizes that she can't allow him to go on the suicide mission from his dad. This is what drives her to take his place. Denethor tries to send his son to Osgiliath, but Erin convinces Faramir to let her take his place.

SEPTEMBER: Erin rides to Osgiliath and is shot. She succumbs to the Shadow and falls into a deep sleep. The Rohirrim arrive at Dunharrow. Kaia and Kathryn fight because Kaia won't tell Kathryn why she's so stressed out and reveal what she knows about her fate. They make up not long after. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Kaia take off for the Haunted Mountain. Kathryn is undecided for a long time about going into battle with Éowyn for a long time, as she still has a fear of war, but decides to tag along anyway in hopes that she might see Faramir again in Gondor. Erin is brought back to Minas Tirith. Kaia, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli take the Paths of the Dead. Gondor is besieged. Erin awakes, jumps into the battle, and finds Tera dead. The Rohirrim arrive at Minas Tirith. Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Éowyn and Théoden slain by the Witch-King. Erin meets up with Kathryn, and together they are able to drive him away, though Kathryn is fatally wounded in the process. Kaia, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli bring the dead army to Minas Tirith. Erin desperately seeks out Aragorn to help heal Kathryn, and is reunited with Legolas during her search. Kaia takes two arrows to the chest in order to save Aragorn. Erin is devastated. As Kaia dies, she tells her that her death was already set in stone, as she saw it in the Mirror of Galadriel. She makes Aragorn promise to take over Gondor's throne as he was born to do. Kaia dies and is buried in the Gardens of Minas Tirith. After battle, Kathryn awakes in the Houses of Healing and learns of Kaia's death. Kathryn is reunited with Faramir, and they become a couple. Again, Erin hears Elbereth's voice in her head, saying _"Some fates are not meant to be changed, but accepted." _Erin and Kaia each take possession of Kaia's black blades.

OCTOBER: Legolas finally tells Erin how he feels, and Erin realizes that she feels the same way. They become a couple, but agree to keep it secret for the time being. The Last Debate takes place. The decision is made to confront Sauron at the Black Gate. The Company rides out for Mordor. Erin and Kathryn go along.

NOVEMBER:They arrive at the Morannon. Battle of the Black Gate. Kathryn has one last final face-off against the Witch-King of Angmar and defeats him. Destruction of the Ring, and Fall of Sauron. Legolas and Erin kiss publicly.

DECEMBER: The survivors return to Minas Tirith.

**3020:**

MARCH: Coronation of Aragorn. Faramir proposes to Kathryn, and she accepts.

MAY: Wedding of Aragorn and Arwen.

JUNE: Wedding of Kathryn and Faramir. Erin is again ill. Faramir and Kathryn depart to live in Ithilien. Shortly after, Legolas proposes to Erin, who (of course) says yes. They leave for Greenwood to make preparations.

SEPTEMBER: Erin and Legolas arrive in Greenwood. Erin is imprisoned in the palace dungeons for stealing from Thranduil earlier. Legolas convinces him to release her and let them marry, but is also crushed by the fact that their marriage means they will take over rule of Greenwood, leaving Thranduil no choice but to leave Middle-Earth for the Undying Lands.

**3021:**

APRIL: Legolas and Erin marry.

MAY: Erin receives a letter from Galadriel stating that she must leave Middle-Earth and travel to the Undying Lands. She is devastated, not knowing whether or not she will be able to return. Thranduil and Erin depart from Greenwood together. Erin, Thranduil, Celeborn, Glorfindel, Galadriel, Gandalf, and the hobbits meet up at the Grey Havens. Legolas does not join them, as he would succumb to the call of the see and must remain in Greenwood to rule as king. All but Pippin and Sam leave Middle-Earth for the Undying Lands.

**?:**They reach the Undying Lands, and Erin meets Elbereth in person. The Elemental Bands are returned to her, and Elbereth grants her immortality as a thank-you gift for all she's done. She also grants Erin permission to return to Middle-Earth. Erin finds Kaia in the Halls of Mandos, and they are reunited briefly before she departs.

Other Events

**3022:**Birth of Boromir II, son of Kathryn and Faramir. Birth of Eldarion, son of Aragorn and Arwen.

**3023:** Erin returns from the Undying Lands.

**Fourth Age **

**03:** Birth of Ranawen, daughter of Legolas and Erin.

**76:** Death of Faramir.

**79:** Death of Kathryn. Boromir II becomes Lord of Ithilien.

**126:** Birth of Lindariel, daughter of Legolas and Erin.

**335:** Birth of Thalion, son of Legolas and Erin.

**1541:** Death of Aragorn.

**1856:** Ranawen marries and takes over rule of Ithilien.

**2299:** Thalion marries and takes over rule of Greenwood. Lindariel becomes his head advisor. Legolas and Erin seek out Gimli, depart for the Grey Havens, and leave Middle-Earth for the Undying Lands.

**~END~**


End file.
